Vanguard Olympians
by Yelle Hughes
Summary: *ON HIATUS* The TWD Olympians. Same alter egos in a totally revamped story. Our gods and goddess meet as children then somehow find themselves trying to survive in the zombie apocalypse. A new adventure for our favorites, Rick and Michonne and The Family. Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Walking Dead, just a crazy fan. Drama, romance, fantasy, and humor.
1. Chapter 1

**VANGUARD OLYMPIANS**

 **A/N: The TWD Olympians are back, same names, different circumstances. Rick/Ares. Michonne/Nike. Shane/Kratos.**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Immortals Playground**

 ** _A long ass time ago…_**

Hidden behind long grass and thick foliage, the azure, baby-blue eyes of Ares watched two young immortals playing in a field filled with crimson, fuchsia and indigo flowers. The large playground was located behind a gigantic marble palace he discovered on one of his many jaunts away from Olympus.

He was bored, his home life was monotonous, and his parents sucked. They kept telling him he was the god of war and that his destiny had already been destined by the Fates… blah, blah, blah.

They even had a wife picked out for him.

He glanced down at his mini-form and his pudgy legs, "I can barely walk up a flight of steps. Why are they talking about me marrying anyone? And, not just some random stranger… but my fucking sister. Ugh, I don't know and don't care why my parent's generation thought it was a cool thing to do. I ain't doin' that shit."

Ever since they started pushing on him their plans for his future, telling him how it was in the Olympians' best interest to stick with their own, Ares began to venture further out for longer periods than he'd ever been. That's how he discovered a new pantheon of immortals living on the other side of the African continent.

He went ahead and settled more comfortably on the soft grass. He was confident the tree branches, large boulders, and leafy shrubbery would keep him hidden as he indulged in watching two of the most fascinating people he'd ever seen in the whole world.

Even though they had no clue who he was.

Ares musings were interrupted when the girl toddler screamed at the top of her lungs, "Kwatos! Give it back!"

Ares' gaze followed the girl who looked a little younger than he. She wore a simple white tunic that flowed loosely around her, and short enough to leave her bare feet free to run around the field unhindered.

Her long, dark and purple hair was twisted in some intricate chignon. Her tawny, coconut tinted skin looked very smooth and gleamed warmly under the bright, Alkebulan sun.

She was a cutie. She had big lavender doe eyes and chubby cheeks that appeared flushed as she chased after the boy. Her plump lip pouted in frustration from not obtaining the object he kept from her.

The little boy didn't look that much older and if Ares hadn't been watching them for a while, he wouldn't have known they were siblings. The boy, Kratos was fairer in skin-tone, dark, almost black eyes and short twisted curls covered his head.

Every day, he found them in the meadow playing or fighting… mostly fighting.

The first time he discovered her name was a time he would never forget. It was shortly after he'd been watching them:

 _Kratos sat on the ground making about a dozen or so toy soldiers made from twigs and leaves. He had them all standing in formation and used rocks for walls and barriers. He didn't notice his sister sneaking up behind him balancing on her toes, while he played a battle between his two armies._

 _Ares settled in for a front row seat to all the soon-to-be carnage._

 _The little girl's wide eyes narrowed as she focused on her mission and kept her steps quiet._

 _As soon as she was close enough, she screamed, stomped, kicked and trampled her brother's elaborate setup._

 _Kratos jumped up and stood frozen in shock at the damage she wreaked and couldn't believe his sister had the nerve to do this to him. Ares saw a spark of anger ignite within the toddler's onyx eyes. A burgeoning, raging red spread across his cheeks, then down his neck to smatter across his shoulders when he bellowed, "NIKE!"_

 _Ares finally got a name._

 _The short little tike had already escaped halfway across the field when he yelled it out. In her effort to look back, she tripped over her own chubby feet and tumbled onto the ground. Luckily, she was already close enough to it and didn't have that far to fall._

 _When her knees hit the dirt, she was next to where Ares lay hidden and he almost blew his cover by leaving his hiding spot to help her back to her feet. He stopped from lifting when he heard Nike giggling loudly. That sound implanted into his brain and he swore it was another thing he wouldn't forget._

 _"Get back here!" Kratos yelled as he stumbled closer to where Ares still lay on the ground, distracting his focus off the little girl. Nike hurriedly stood up and took off for another part of the grassy meadow before her brother could reach her and ignored his heated demand, "I'm telling mama what you did."_

 _Hardly breaking stride nor falling again, Nike turned her head and stuck her tongue out at her brother and smiled._

 _Ares unconsciously mimicked her smile and was captivated._

That had been some time ago. Time constraints among the immortals had no meaning, at least, in terms of how mortals calculated it.

Back to the present chase, Kratos raced past Ares' hiding spot first, stopping briefly to listen to his sister yelling at him. He peered down at something he was holding. From the ground, Ares could see it was small, and greenish-brown with legs. As soon as he realized what he carried, Kratos ran off again.

Ares hurriedly clamped his hand to his mouth. Cutting off the snicker that escaped when he recognized a crawfish in Kratos' hands.

Nike entered the area where Kratos once stood and stopped abruptly, directly in front of where Ares lay on the ground, with only the leaves and branches between them.

She turned in the direction of where her brother ran and called his name quietly, "Kwatos?"

After all the yelling and screaming demands at her brother, the quiet saying of his name brought Kratos to a screeching halt. He dropped the crayfish. Ares blue eyes widened in disbelief at the speed Kratos made to reach her side. Without a word, they both turned around and faced a still concealed Ares.

Nike's perceptive purple gaze lowered and focused on the leaves Ares thought kept him hidden, "We know you've been watching us for a long time. Don't you think it's time to come out and meet my bwother and I?"

The jig was up, he'd been busted and there was no reason to hide in the bushes anymore. Ares took a deep breath and stood up among the bramble. Nike and Kratos' eyes followed his ascent. Ares stood almost a full head taller than Nike and was the same height as her brother.

If a normal human was observing this little meeting, they would have thought they'd seen three, four and five-year-old's standing around the outer edge of the field talking to each other, and not actual immortal gods who have been on the earth's plains for over hundreds of years.

The little girl of golden mahogany, dressed in her white chiton, had her arms haughtily folded and the curly raven-haired boy of tanned peach, wore an over the shoulder short tunic with his hands resting on his tubby waist. They both faced the young newcomer with a military-style haircut, wearing a traditional loincloth.

The boys were around the same age. The girl, slightly younger.

Ares's hands hung loosely on his sides when he smiled sheepishly, raising one hand in greeting, "Hi. You're right, I have been watching you and I'm sorry."

Kratos asked, "Why were you watching us? You some kind of perv or something?"

Nike turned to her brother with a quizzical look, "Perv… Weally?"

Her brother shrugged, "Heard uncle say it the other day."

Shaking her head, she turned back to Ares, "Don't mind him, what's your name, stwanger?"

He was so fascinated with the sweetness of her voice, and how she couldn't seem to pronounce her r's, he neglected to hear her asking him a question.

Kratos yanked him by the arm and pulled him out of his hiding area, bringing him out of his zone, "Hey, my sister is talking to you."

Ares rubbed a hand on the back of his neck to get his faculties in order, "Uhm… I'm uhm…" He became flustered because he had forgotten his name and forgot how to say it.

Kratos didn't have the patience so his pudgy palm glanced across the back of Ares' head, "Focus, buttercup."

Ares' head snapped back in surprise then turned to shock when the little firebrand whipped around on her brother and pushed him nearly halfway across the field, "Don't you ever touch him again… you… meanie!" She grabbed Ares' hand and practically dragged him over to where the entrance of the meadow began, and he could see the columns of their palace in the distance.

Kratos ran to catch up with them with an apologetic grin on his face. Nike pulled a still stunned Ares behind her as she faced her brother, "What did mommy say about you putting your hands on people? If you weren't my welative, I would stomp you into the gwound. That was just wude." Her little bare foot stomped itself onto the dirt with a shake. "Now apologize and then we can all be fwiends."

The toddlers spent the rest of the day, playing and getting to know each other.

* * *

"So, your parents are Titans. How did you end up on the other side of Alkebulan? Does my father know you're here?" Ares asked as he drew pictures in the dirt with a stick.

Kratos was busy doing cartwheels in the field (the kid never kept still) while Nike was busy weaving blades of grass into long plaits. "From what we were told, there was a war over who controlled Olympus and our pawents left before it started."

"Yeah, it was called the _First Battle_. Who are your parents, if you don't mind my asking?"

Nike wrapped the braided piece of meadow around her ankle and tried to fasten it, "The Titans... Pallas, and Styx. Who are yours?"

Ares ducked just in time when Kratos flipped over his head, "The Olympians... Zeus, and Hera. I heard of your parents. There are other Titans who refused to fight. Good for them, the war was stupid."

"Oh, so you're second genewation. Is that why you were hiding out over here?"

He reached over to help her with the knot… both of their short stubby fingers having trouble tying it. "Part of it. Most of it, I was just bored, but I don't want to do the thangs they want me to do. I don't want the life they say I should live."

Kratos came wheelbarrowing back and tumbled into them. Nike yelled, "Kwatos!", as Ares tried his best to remove her brother off of her. Then it became a wrestling match. Nike scrambled to her feet and jumped on her brother to help Ares. When Kratos finally gave in and held himself still, both Ares and Nike were sitting on top of him. Nike grabbed a handful of grass and sprinkled the torn pieces onto his hair, "That's what you get."

Ares stood up, reached down and pulled Nike up by putting his hands under her arms, lifting her clear of Kratos' torso.

She looked up at him, "Thanks, Awees."

Ares smiled down at her, "You're welcome, Nike."

He then held a hand out to help Kratos to his feet. When Kratos was solid, he snuck a look to his sister and then suddenly they both jumped on Ares, knocking him off his feet.

All three giggling, as they rolled around on the soft ground.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading :)** **Please leave a comment or note and let me know if you like this version of our favorite couple.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	2. Time Flies When You're Having Fun

**_A/N: Thank so much for the reviews, follows and favs. There was some confusion as to who is who. Once we get deeper into the story, more characters will make an appearance so I will provide a key to let you know which TWD character represents which mythical deity. Please don't hesitate to send me a dm if you have any questions._**

 ** _A few hundred years later…_**

After preparing and enjoying an afternoon brunch of olives, tomatoes and feta cheese drizzled with olive oil and spices, they each had a glass of Visanto Wine.

The beverage surprised Ares, who wasn't allowed to imbibe until his body grew big enough to absorb alcohol. "You're allowed to drink this?" He asked as he took a sip from the golden goblet.

Kratos snickered, "Hey, we may look like ten-year-olds, but we've been on this earth for a while, don't you think we're old enough to drink a little hooch?"

Nike side-eyed her brother, "Hooch?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "Heard uncle from the West say it the other day."

"You need to stop listening to him and using his words." She turned to Ares, "We can drink as long as we don't indulge too much. We may have been awound a long time, but our bodies are still small and can only take so much." She drained the rest of her wine and set it to the side. "Now that we're done eating, what do you want to do now?"

Ares sat back, rubbing his stomach, "I don't know. Let's talk about what we're gonna do in the future."

Kratos groaned, "Ugh… While you two talk about grown people stuff, I'm gonna go play while I'm still small enough to do it." With that, he took off down the field, flipping, jumping around, then accidentally backflipped into a tree, "I'm okay," he yelled back.

Ares turned back to Nike and with a tilt of his head, asked, "So what's in your future?"

She popped a piece of cheese, leaned forward and rested her chin in her hand, "Well, I am the goddess of victowee and my duty will be to help mortals achieve that. I've alweady began to study them, and they are fascinating. I can't wait until I'm big enough to walk awound in their world." She ran her hand along her twisted purple tresses and leaned back, "What about you, Awees? You said you didn't want to follow the plans your pawents laid out for you."

He sat back and sighed, giving his tell-tale tilt of his head and squinting as he concentrated putting his thoughts into words, "There are only a few things on my parent's list that I will do. I'm going to train to become the god of war and I will fight to protect Olympus. As far as where I go and who I marry, that will be my choice." Ares rubbed his thumb nervously across his other hand as he spoke, "Finding you both here, has shown me there are other ways to live my life and you taught me that I could make my own choices."

Nike placed a palm over his nervous hands, "I'm so pwoud of you, Awees."

* * *

Looking now like a twelve-year-old, Ares showed up to find his best friend sitting at the table with a bowl full of dark brown powder. "What's that you got there, Nike?"

Her purple gaze frowned when she dipped a pinky inside then put it in her mouth and made a grimace at the bitter taste.

"I found this on one of my twavels and it smells so good but when I taste it, it's disgusting. I'm twying to figure out how to make it taste like it smells." She pulled over a platter of different fruits and vegetables. "The people where I got it from said I needed to woast the beans then gwind them up, but it's still nasty."

Ares looked over what she had. He took a taste himself and agreed, it was horrible. "Hmm… let me see. It's bitter. Maybe we need to find a way to sweeten it up." He looked through all the vegetation and picked up a pomegranate. Once he peeled back its layers, gathered up a handful of its pulpy seeds, he squeezed juice on a small pile he placed in another bowl. Once finished, he grabbed a spoon and stirred the mixture.

"What are you doing, Awees?" Nike asked as she watched the brown powder turn into a thick pasty liquid.

Ares dipped in his finger and gave it a lick. With a huge grin blossoming on his face, he lifted the dish for her to try, "Taste this, the pomegranate makes it a heck of a lot better."

Nike brought a droplet to her lips and cautiously swiped her tongue along her finger. Her purple eyes brightened with delight when the savory sweetness matched with the scrumptious aroma of brown powder from the southern continent.

"This is so good! Thank you, Awees!" She exclaimed loudly and took out a bigger scoop and plopped it in her mouth.

Delighted that he made Nike smile, he picked up a banana and swirled it around in the bowl, "Let's experiment. How does this taste?"

Nike squealed with glee over the combined sweetness of the fleshy banana covered with the syrupy cocoa mixture.

Kratos had just run over to find out why his sister was screeching, "Whatchu guys doin'?"

Both Nike and Ares tilted their heads in question at his different way of speaking.

Kratos shrugged, "What? I heard Uncle talkin' like that."

Nike handed her brother the chocolate-covered banana, "Awees just cweated something that will be my favowit treat for the west of my life, fowever."

Ares's chest puffed out with pride at Nike's praise.

Talking with a mouthful of the sweet surprise, Kratos warned Ares, "You gone and done it now, she will never forget and will bug the hell out of you to get her some more. That's a job for several lifetimes. You ready for that?"

Ares reached up and scratched his chin and looked down a Nike shyly, "Yeah, I'm up for that, if that's what you want?"

* * *

Sitting out in the sun, now resembling a fifteen-year-old teenager, Nike told Ares, "I have something to show you, Awees."

Ares had just returned to the grove after having an argument with his mother. She'd been bugging him about when he would marry his sister, Aphrodite. She told him he should be considered blessed because his sister was so beautiful. The conversation almost made him throw up. His sister was okay-looking if he was honest but she stank and was annoying as Hades.

He refused to even talk about it, so she then began asking him where he went during the day. Even though he didn't fully understand the rivalry between the Olympians and the Titans, he knew enough not to tell his mother that he visits the home of a family of Titans who refused to enter the war.

It was well known, amongst his family that his father enjoyed pleasurable _'outside'_ pursuits and his mother was constantly and consistently angry at Zeus being untruthful about his whereabouts and his dalliances. That mistrust rolled down to her children and Ares being the youngest of his siblings, understood she would have serious issues with his refusal to give her the information she sought.

Hera even once told him that he didn't love their family enough to tell the truth, therefore, he would never honor their family bond.

With that being said, he stopped bothering to try.

After his mother was finished with her tirade, Ares just rolled his eyes at her dramatics and left with a wave of his hand.

* * *

Now that he was in a safe and peaceful environment, he smiled down at Nike sitting on the soft grass. The sun shining warmly on her dark skin. She gestured for him to sit down in front of her. Kratos was busy with his cartwheels further up the field.

Once he was comfortable facing her, Nike shrugged her shoulders and a pair of purple wings slowly rose from behind her back.

Ares' blue eyes widened in wonder, "Wow! Those are awesome, Nike! Did you have those the whole time?" His gaze darted from one wing to the other, fascinated as the purple feathers glistened in the bright afternoon sun.

Nike straightens her back and flexed her wings behind her, "They were a gift from our pawents. Kwatos got a pair too."

Ares turned to find Kratos still playing but this time, he unfurled his black wings and added flying leaps to his cartwheels. He rose high in the air with a mighty flap of his wings, only to come crashing down on the ground into a tangled heap. Laying on his side with his back to his audience, he raised an arm and looked back, "I'm okay!"

Chuckling at his goofy friend's shenanigans, he turned his attention back to Nike to finish listening to what she was telling him. "You are my best fwiend and we didn't think it was fair that you didn't get wings too."

When she snapped her fingers, Ares felt a slight jolt in his back near his trapezoids. Rolling his shoulders, he heard a rustling sound and as if he was born to it, he brought the tips of his blue-black onyx wings to the forefront for him to inspect.

"Nike… I … I don't know what to say. Thank you, but you didn't have to do this," he spoke in excitement as he ran his fingers along his primary feathers.

Happy her friend was thrilled with his gift, she smiled brightly, "No need to thank me, Awees. You needed them. You've been making a twip way over here for a while now and with these wings, it'll speed up your twavel and when you become the war god, those babies will come in handy."

Ares moved his wings to the back before excitingly telling her, "You must practice with me, but first. I have two things for you."

He held out his fist and opened it. In his palm appeared several dark-brown round pebbles. He raised it closer, "Go on, take one," he suggested.

Nike tentatively took one and stared at with puzzlement. It was as small as some of the rocks her brother likes to throw at her, but the brown coating was smooth and shiny, "What is it?"

Ares grabbed her hand and poured the rest into her palm, "I've been doing some more experimenting with the chocolate. Remember how the pomegranate juice made it taste better? Well, I sweetened the powder with the juice and then I dipped the seeds in the chocolate and let it dry. They're chocolate covered pomegranates."

He eagerly pushed her hands closer, "Go on, try it and see what it tastes like. I did and it's really good!"

Once Nike popped one in her mouth and the flavors of fresh, exotic and tangy juicy seed of the pomegranate surrounded by sweet, mouth-watering chocolate that practically melted as soon as it touched her tongue. "I'm going to mawee you, Awees. Nothing gets better than this," she replied happily as she munched on several more.

Ares wanted to jump for joy when she smiled brightly at him, chocolate smeared on the side of her cheek and all over her lips, "I think you'll like this present as much as you like the treats." He held his arms out again toward her, palms side up. Nike's purple irises glowed an almost florescent hue when a shiny object appeared in his hands.

She gazed from its silvered pummel, up to the ornate wooden hilt to its iridescent, polished steel blade. A luminous magenta glow surrounded its form.

Ares offered the sword to his best friend, hilt first. "I thought you could use this for your future adventures and missions."

Shoving the rest of the chocolate in her mouth, she wiped her sticky hands off along the sides of her chiton and gently grasped the pummel with expertise, only to have the tip of the blade drop and pierce the ground. She laughed with embarrassment, "Awees, this is beautiful and thank you. This sword is perfect and yes, it will help, but I think I'm too small to wield it wight now."

"Oops, here, let me help you." Ares hurried and helped her lift it back into the air, "This sword is magic. I know with us not being fully grown and all, that you wouldn't be able to carry an adult size sword. So, I had my uncle forge a special one for you. You can will it to be any size, shape or color you want."

Ares slid his finger along the shiny metal of the blade, "Just think it, and it will be."

Nike stared in awe at her gift, tears welled in the corners of eyes, brightening the hue of her purple irises, "Awees, I don't know what to say," she said with a sweet voice shaking with emotion.

He wiped a tear away, "You don't have to say anything else. I'm just showing my appreciation for everything you two have done for me all these years."

She sat back as she sniffed and placed the sword flat on her knees, "Awees, all Kwatos and I did was be your fwiend."

Ares stood and spread his new appendages and raised hands, "Exactly. You two became my best friends. Showed me a world I might have never seen. You gave me a way to fly and it's only because you like me. Not because you want something from me. Your brother taught me how to box and he even showed me that I didn't need to keep my hair in that crazy looking buzz cut." He rose up into the air with a flap of his wings, "I can be me around you!"

As soon as he made his proclamation, he was sidelined by Kratos tackling him in mid-air, "Oof!"

Onyx wings and blue-black one's tangle as they tumbled to the ground, laughing and giggling, "That was sneaky one, Kray" Ares huffed out when he untangled himself from his friend.

Kratos rolled to his feet, "You guys were looking all serious over here, and my sister has snot bubbles running down her nose. I came to see what's up."

Nike ran her hand across her face and chided her brother, "Shut up, Kwatos. Awees gave me a nice present and I gave him the wings. I'm just happy, that's all."

"Really? What did you get?"

Before she held up the sword, she gave it a thought and it shrunk in size, so she could pick it up easily. "A blade for my traveling and offering encouragement. And, he also brought me more chocolate," she giggled.

Kratos elbowed Ares, who now stood next to him, "See, I told you. Every time you come, she'll be expecting it. That sword is nice though."

He faced Nike's brother, "I didn't leave you out. I got something for you. I hope you like it." He held out his hand and something, Kratos had never seen before appeared in his Ares' palm.

"What are those?"

Ares held them in both hands and placed them on Kratos' face, above his nose. "They're called spectacles. When you wear them during the day, they dim the bright light and at night, they help you see as if it's daytime."

The wide darkened lens cut the brightness of the sun's rays in half, yet Kratos could still see the world around him clearly. Two handles hooked behind his ears to prevent them from falling off his face, "Cool!"

The other two immortals gave him a puzzled look.

"Uncle says it all the time and it means, I really like them."

"Oh, okay… that's good, I think."

Kratos grabbed him in a hug, "Thanks, man. I really appreciate this."

Ares hugged him back, "And thank you for the wings."

"Nah… that was all Nike's idea. She's right though, it wouldn't have been fair that we got 'em and you didn't. We're gonna need them to do thangs together in the future."

Ares agreed, "Yup, we're gonna do a lot of stuff and thangs in the future, together."

Nike shook her head, "Kwatos, you're a bad influence on Awees. You know that?"

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this short bit. Things pick up next chapter. See you next week!**

 **Key:**

 **Michonne-** Nike-Goddess of Victory.

 **Rick-** Ares-God of War.

 **Shane-** Kratos-God of strength and power


	3. Change

**A/N: The weekend of the Season 9 premiere is upon us. Fingers crossed! This chap is NSFW. So please, don't read it on a train, plane or anywhere else insane. (I tried... please don't stop reading.)**

 **Change**

The three friends practiced flying, sword fighting and played together for centuries. Gradually, each began to show signs of growth in different ways. In the current time, they looked as if they were mere mortals in their early twenties.

"Nike come here." Standing in the middle of the field, Ares called out to her. They just finished practicing and she was taking a break eating the chocolate that he brought and sipping Ambrosia. Kratos left them alone to pursue a woodland nymph he had met a few decades ago.

When she came over, he held his hand out, "Give me your sword. It's time to teach you a disarming technique my Uncle Poseidon taught me."

He still stood a head taller than she and after years of honing their skills, their bodies still retained their plumpness of youth, yet, were deftly toned and muscular.

Ares especially noticed how Nike filled out over the years. No longer did she look like the short, cutie-pie cherub with lavender wings, but now a fully-grown sexy, vivacious woman with high, round breasts, long wiry arms that could do some serious damage, strong sinewy thighs that could break a man in half, and a deliciously plump ass he could stare at and lay on for days.

When she walked over, he couldn't help but notice the natural sensual sway of her hips and if he didn't get a grip, she might notice that he's wasn't looking at her like a little kid anymore.

Nike opened her palm and the magical sword he gave her as a gift, appeared. The size fit her hand perfectly. "Are you going to have me try to slice off your head today?"

He took it out of her hand and began to walk around her, "You can try, but first, you're going to have to disarm me." The afternoon sun blazed high in the sky as Ares and his dark shadow circled Nike's figure.

Her head followed his movement while holding her body still, "When is the best time to try and take it away from you?"

His only answer, "Anytime is the best time."

As soon as he came back around to her front, Nike snatched the sword out of his hands.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to start yet!" He bellowed.

"Ares, you just said 'anytime'."

The fact that she pronounced her _'r's'_ , gave him pause. The lisp she held for centuries was no longer present when she said his name. It was another thing that showed him she was no longer a child. He held his hand out for her to give it back, "Yeah, but you have to learn the rules first."

After handing it back, Nike placed her hands on her hips and gave him a questioning look, "Why are there rules when someone takes my sword or is holding a weapon on me? Shouldn't I do whatever it takes to get it back?"

"Yeah, you should."

"Okay, good." Before he knew it, she snatched the sword out of his hands again.

"Nike! You've got to wait for me to get in place."

"Why?"

Narrowing his eyes and pressing his lips together in frustration, he grabbed the sword from her again, "Look, I'm going to get behind you and put the sword near your neck. Don't make any crazy moves until I'm in position. I don't want to accidentally cut you. Can you do that?"

She rolled her eyes, "Fine, no need to be a baby about it. You're the one who said to take it anytime."

Clasping his lips together again, "You're right, I did. But you have to understand the moves and techniques you'll need to use to do it properly."

Nike tsked as Ares moved behind and brought up the sword, "I don't see what's the big deal. As long as I get the sword back, that's all that should matter."

Ares moved closer and his inner arms brushed her outer, making them both aware how close their bodies were together. He slowly backed his groin away from her buttocks before she could detect the growing tent under his tunic. As soon as he gently raised the sword close to her neck, he began speaking, "See, now when a person has-… "

Nike quickly reached up with both hands, one grabbed Ares's wrist, the other grabbed the sword's pommel… twirling it out of his grasp and into hers. With a swift turn, her lavender and black hair flowing with her movements, she let go of him and held the sword at arm's length, the tip slightly touching his throat, which made him swallow the lump that formed.

"Like this?"

Ares' voice cracked when he tried to answer. He got it together after clearing it, "Uhm… yeah, like that. Alright, who's been coming around here? Was it Lexos? Did he teach you that move?"

She dropped the blade, handed it back to him, then smiled brightly, "You know Kratos can't stand him. He didn't teach me. You did."

"I didn't teach you that. All I did was put the blade to your neck."

"But you said-… "

Throwing his hands in the air with frustration, he backed away from her pearly whites, "I know what I said. You know what…" He cut himself off mid-sentence and started to walk away from the woman that clearly had him frustrated for several reasons. It took him several years to master how to get a sword away from his uncle and this girl did it without any training. Equally as daunting, his eyes were opened to the potential of what she could do to him emotionally.

She gently called out, "Ares, why are you mad at me? Don't you want me to be able to handle myself in combat?" The sword disappeared in her hands as she moved closer to him.

Ares closed his eyes as his new, heightened awareness homed in on the natural, sweet smell of her hair. His body tingled as her aura assaulted his senses. Turning back toward her, he whispered, "I do, Nike."

As what all gods and goddesses do when they come of age, they express their desire through the release of pheromones.

Nike halted when Ares' own surrounded and encompassed her. She had always felt there was an attraction between the two of them, but they were best friends, right? And, maybe she was just an immortal having her first crush.

 _Or so she thought._

The way he was breathing her in, the way he was leaning toward her, and the flush steadily coloring his skin told her clearly, this was more than a crush. The attraction was real, and it was about time they did something about it.

She felt the allure that pulled her close, right up to where they were pressed almost chest to chest, her face tipped back to peer into his, "Ares?"

Nervously, he lifted his hand and ran a thumb down her cheek. He'd touched her countless times before but never was he so aware of how soft her skin was, how his tongue ached to find out what she tastes like. He asked, "I wanna kiss you. Can I do that?"

She felt there was no need to act shy, coy, playing hard to get or mincing her words, "You can."

Taking his time, Ares lowered and anchored his lips onto hers, tentatively. He didn't rush. He let his tongue explore the texture, the volume and the taste of her lips. Remnants of chocolate still clung and only enhanced her natural flavor of fresh, uncultivated sunshine.

When she placed her hands on his hips, he took that as his cue to draw her closer. Settling into the kiss, he delved deeper, tangling her tongue with his. He had his fair share kissing other goddesses of lesser value, woodland nymphs, oceanids, sirens… yet none of them were as sweet and refined as his beloved Nike.

And she is beloved by him, he just never knew it until now.

In his heart and in his soul, there would never be another.

He pulled himself reluctantly away, "Nike, remember when you said you were gonna marry me?"

"That was a long time ago. Why?"

"Do you still want to?"

She passed a hand across his cheek lovingly, "Ares, we were like children when I said that."

He clasped her hand and held it there, "We may have looked like children, but I was old enough to take it seriously. I just didn't think you did. Answer the question, please. Do. You. Still. Want. To?"

As they stared into the other's eyes, they didn't notice the sky growing heavy with grey clouds.

She meekly protested, "You're an Olympian. Don't your people have a different view on marriage?"

He wrapped his arms around her, paying no mind to the winds picking up. "The older generation does but that's not me. Now, answer the question."

Nike released a relieved sigh and said the words she'd always known, yet, she never realized it until that very moment, "I've always loved you, Ares."

"And, I've loved you from the first moment I saw you yelling at your brother."

They shared a brief kiss under the darkening sky. Their exposed wings fluttered restlessly by the increasing gusts of wind. Ares let her go to guide her over to the small gazebo standing at the edge of the meadow.

For many years the small building made of Calacatta marble had witnessed the deities spend time laughing, feasting and discussing their lives… the good and the bad. Today, it will be the observer of something special and new.

When they stepped inside, Ares conjured a wide pallet made of goose down feathers and a coverlet made of alabaster silk.

He removed his sandals and went down to his knees in the middle of the soft and comfy pile.

Raising his arms, he gestured for Nike to step forward. Mimicking his movement, she took off her sandals and walked into his waiting arms.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he rested his cheek against her breast and stayed poised like that, enjoying the excited rhythm of her heartbeat. Nike ran her fingers through his now longer curls and reveled in the feel of the man she loved in her arms.

Ares began massaging the small of her back in tiny circles, widening them as he strayed further and further into other areas.

One hand slid down her bare thigh, only to glide softly upward and under the skirt of her chiton, to the soft silky briefs that covered the place, he was yearning to discover.

He raised his head when the tips of his fingers reached the line between friends and lovers.

"Nike?"

She met his stare with a dreamy one of her own, "Hmm?"

"May I have you?"

A smile equal to Helios's chariot raising the sun spread across Nike's beautiful face. It gave a jumpstart to Ares' soul when she answered, "You've always had me."

As soon as permission was granted, he kept eye contact when his fingers slipped underneath the material to softly touch her nether lips. Circling lightly, he immediately felt wetness coating his skin. Nike unconsciously relaxed and widened her stance to allow him further access.

When she gave him unfettered freedom, Ares dipped the tip of one digit slightly between her crease to gather her warm nectar and used it to stimulate Nike's hardening clitoris. While he worked on bringing her to her first climax, he paid close attention to determine her reactions and for any clues on how she was feeling about their first time together.

Her hands moved down to grab onto his shoulders. Her face flushed with gasping breaths, as Ares slipped off her panties, raised her skirt, then used all his fingers to strum along the delicate and sensitive lining of her pussy.

Once he had her worked up, his other held her firmly by the waist as he gently dipped his thick, middle finger inside her tight virginal channel.

Ares may not know everything when it comes to the pleasures of the flesh, but he knew that a man of his size, compared to hers, would definitely need to prepare her to receive him. Nike gasped at his thick intrusion. She squeezed his shoulders harder then closed her eyes.

"Keep your focus on me, my love."

Her violet eyes opened wide and centered on him.

"When I make love to you, I want you to enjoy everything I have to offer you." He thrust slowly into her pussy, "You feel like heaven, Nike. So warm, so wet. I don't want you to feel any discomfort, only pleasure." He removed his finger from her hole to slide and circle her bundle of nerves waiting to be ignited.

"Okay," Nike's breathing increased in volume and speed as his hand worked faster, making her wetter. Her juices dripped and fell, soaking the silken coverlet at their feet.

A feeling of intense tingling began growing and soaring from within her abdomen. She tried to keep her focus on the bright blue of Ares' eyes. She felt like she was drowning… almost losing herself in them.

Ares' fingers smoothly glided back and forth between her thighs, spreading her cream and coating his entire hand. He coordinated between rubbing her clit then slipping into her passage, never going past her precious hymen and puncturing it.

Nike's eyes began to water from the sheer pleasure of it. The sensual intensity he was invoking became too much.

She needed the release, so she began to gyrate her hips in time with his movements. Ares raised higher on his knees, clasped her tighter and increased his speed. Nike couldn't hold back her moans that inevitably transitioned into a high-pitch squeal as the powerful orgasm took over her body. She nearly fell over him.

"My god, you are so beautiful when you come." He weaved his hands through her dark and violet tresses, pulling her down to kneel with him. His thumb wiped away the tears flowing down her cheek as she took in great gulps of air to quiet and calm her breathing.

Raising her head, she opened her eyes to see Ares staring at her. His pupils bright in the dimming light of the darkening sky.

He clamped his lips onto hers and began removing her chiton while she began to unravel his tunic. The sense of urgency took over both of them as they hurried to remove their clothing. Their wings had been folded inside as soon as her knees touched the pallet, so they weren't in the way when he laid her down on her back.

Due to the sky darkening, the lanterns sitting around the gazebo magically lit to brighten the area with golden light. Its warmth flowed across Nike, giving her dark skin an ethereal glow. Ares studied everything about her, her heart-shaped lips, the curve of her high cheekbones, her graceful neck down to her firm breasts complimented with black-cherry areolas, her muscular flat stomach, to her thick thighs and strong, long legs.

This being their first time and being immortal they would have plenty of time to explore each other. For right now, all he wanted was to bury himself in her warmth and never leave.

He then became worried about who she was, what she represented, and what was destined for her future. Nike the goddess of victory, who will lead and encourage the downtrodden to their triumphal glory. Was he being selfish by changing what the Fates have decided?

Nike raised up on her elbows, puzzled as to why Ares held still as he kneeled between her thighs, staring at her. "Ares, what's wrong?"

Pulling himself from his inner thoughts, he smiled down at her, "Nothing's wrong. I was thinking about how you won't be known as a virgin goddess if we do this. Who am I to take that away from you?" He rubbed his hands back and forth down her naked open thighs and sighed, "If it has to be, we don't have to do this. However, I will stand by your side for eternity, if that's what you want."

She lifted even higher, her hands delicately grasped his cock and slowly massaged him. When she cupped his balls, she replied sweetly, "Virgin goddesses are myths. And, no one, not even the Fates can tell me what to do with my life. Besides," she ran her thumb over his bulbous tip, causing him to gasp. With a slight quirk of her mouth, she lowered her voice into a sexy drawl, "there is no way, I'm going to pass this…" she squeezed, "up. Not for another single second." Lowering back down onto the coverlet, she brought him with her to rest his hardened member between her soaked pussy waiting to be deflowered.

She let him go when she felt his tip at her entrance. Ares palmed his thick width and brushed the smooth and silky mushroom head, up and down covering himself with her slickness. As a delight, when his dick came near her clit, he spent precious time alternating between flicking the sensitive nub, to circling her opening… entering only for a brief and frustrating moment. His teasing caused her to quiver with an insatiable need to be stretched and filled by her soon-to-be-king.

Quaking with desire and aching to be fucked, Nike couldn't take anymore. She raised her knees and locked her ankles behind his firm ass, "Ares, you have two seconds to start fucking me properly. If you don't. I'm going to turn your ass over and take it myself."

He chuckled at her aggressiveness, "I just wanted to make sure you were ready." He leaned his hips forward and rubbed his entire shaft along her crease. Creating more wetness and relaxing her vaginal muscles for his arrival.

She took in a sharp, fervid breath at this new erotic motion, "Ready… ah… ready for what?"

"This." Without further warning, Ares aligned his cock to her opening and with a strong but steady surge of his hips, he entered Nike smoothly and painlessly. Breaking through her hymen like a hot knife passing through melted butter. Because of his patience, Nike was fully prepared: wanting, wet, pliable and deliciously tight. He closed his eyes in euphoric bliss where her hot flesh surrounded and contracted around his engorged cock.

"Hmmm… fuck!" The urge to thrust and to thrust hard and deep, felt strong within him. _'Not yet, Ares… not yet.'_

After he gained control, he focused on making sure Nike was okay and enjoyed their coming together as much as, if not more than he did. What he saw almost made him lose his load right then and there. His gaze traveled from the contracting muscles of her abdomen to her hands cupping her breasts and pinching her diamond-hard nipples, her eyes closed in ecstasy, with a huge smile decorating her face. When her tongue appeared, swiping across her lips leaving a wet trail, the control he gained was nearly lost in an instant.

"Nike," he panted, "You ready?"

Her smile slowly minimized to be replaced by an intense look of raw hunger. She pushed up one of the breasts she palmed, lifted her head off the coverlet and let her long tongue stretch to lick a hardened nipple, "I've been ready."

She needn't say anything more. He pulled his hips back, leaving the tip inside her entrance then began a curving piston that took Nike to emotional heights her wings haven't been able to do. The euphoria felt as if she was soaring higher than the closest galaxy. She saw stars, nebulas, and entire planets. She wrapped her arms around Ares' torso and took him on her salacious voyage through the stars with her.

She felt the strength in his arms as he held himself aloft and the calculated twist of his hips as he drove into her at a daunting pace.

With blue and violet eyes blazing like fire, both immortals transcended into another plane where their corporeal beings became vessels filled with carnal pleasure.

* * *

Later that evening, they all sat at the table with their wings tucked away. Kratos had returned frustrated Daphne resisted his charms and he focused stuffing his face with olives. His foul mood didn't keep him from noticing there was something different between his sister and Ares. They kept giving goo-goo eyes and smiling all weird to each other and if he was not mistaken, they were holding hands underneath the table.

He pointed a finger first at Ares, then Nike, "What's goin' on here?"

Nike reluctantly pulled her gaze from Ares to answer her brother, "Oh, we just had a good training day. Ares taught me some new moves with a sword. Speaking of that…" She needed to change the subject because she wasn't ready to answer her brother's endless questions just yet. She grabbed her lover's arm, "Ares, I haven't told you about my visit to the West the other day."

He never took his eyes off her from the moment they sat down. He didn't even hear Kratos' question. He picked up his drink and took a sip. Ares was still amazed that this goddess who was cute as a kid, is now a very intelligent, beautiful, and powerful woman that will soon be his wife. "Oh, yeah… what did you do over there?"

Forgetting his own question, her obnoxious brother answered, "All she did was hover in the air and stayed invisible. She was too scared to go down and mingle with humans."

Nike reached over and shoved her brother from across the table, "I was only there to observe," she turned back to Ares sitting beside her, "they were all very nice and peaceful." Ares watched as her face lit up with excitement as she told him of her travels.

"They live out on wide open plains and they sleep in temporary shelters called teepees. They look like giant cones and they can build them and take them down whenever they want. Their traditions seem earthy… natural." She grabbed his arm again with elation, "Next time I go, you have got to come with me."

Ares laughed at her exuberance, "Sure, I'll go and maybe this time we can go down and actually meet them."

Kratos popped an olive into his mouth, "Good luck with that brother. I'd be careful getting too close to man, they've been acting strange lately. According to our uncle, some of them is gonna start up some bullshit in the future." The thought of humans creating disorder among the world didn't sit right with him.

He traveled with his sister and while she watched the children and adults being happy, she didn't see the armies, the road bandits and greedy settlers making their way toward the West. He wanted to throw a thunderbolt from the heavens or open the earth to swallow them all, but that wasn't his place. The gods were forbidden from trying to stop what will come to pass.

Not wanting his sister to lose her beautiful smile and her love for mankind, he would do his damnedest to keep her away from it as long as possible. Out of the two of them, she was the optimist.

His sister gently reminded him, "Uncle also said that there are good humans and they need to be protected from the bad ones. Kratos, remember, do not put them all in one category."

Ares thought about that, "The Fates have said that man would be responsible for its own demise. From what I've seen, the Olympians are no different. There are assholes in every species. Some nice ones and not so nice ones."

"Can we stop talking about dire shit, please?" Kratos picked up a handful of olives and shoveled them into his mouth, "we're still young. This is stuff we shouldn't be worried about right now." He reached and held out his golden goblet, "This is time for fun, training… flying. All that other stuff will always be there. It's not going anywhere, so why worry?

What Kratos said made total sense so Nike polished off the rest her daily dose of chocolate brought by Ares. Kratos relaxed resting his spectacles on the top of his head. They sat and chatted quietly about inconsequential things, feasting on cheese and fruit when the thunderous weather finally made it over their mountain.

Ares looked up and squinted at the angry weather, "Looks like the storm is here." He peered back down to his friends, "I think it's time I introduce you to everyone on Olympus."

Nike asked in surprise, "But what about your parents?"

"What about them? I want you to meet my brothers, sisters and my uncle, Poseidon. My parents, especially my mother, has no control over what I do and who I care about." He reached out and grabbed her hands and looked them both in the eye, "I'm stronger now. I'm not a little kid and besides, they don't seem to care what I do as long as I show up to fulfill my duties. Yeah, I want you guys to come to my home for once and meet the rest of my family."

He smiled widely at Nike, "We also have to make an announcement."

Ares stopped making excuses to his parents as to where he went when he disappeared. They didn't bother to ask, and he didn't bother to explain.

He thought they had an unspoken agreement: They'd stay out of his business and he'd stay out of theirs.

 _Or so he thought._

Kratos stared at them puzzled, "What are y'all talkin' about?"

They were so engrossed in their conversation, they didn't notice that the graying clouds crept steadily closer to the ground… closer to them.

All three turned when they heard a clap of thunder rumbling right next to them. They barely made out the form of a woman hidden within before a bright light blinded them.

* * *

"Kratos, stop playing. You know you gave me this sword. Mother nor father has seen it before and they would never give me something like this. The only person to give it to me is you." Nike raised the blade into the air between them and somehow, she instinctively knew it was magical and that she could change its shape with a thought.

Kratos rubbed his chin, not noticing his spectacles perched on the top of his head. They'd been a part of him for so long, they were like an added appendage. Since they were now part of his person, Kratos didn't give one thought as to where they came from. "We've been around for so long, maybe I did. Doesn't matter anyway."

Nike shrugged as she got up from the table, "Oh well, you're right. Hey, I got a taste for something sweet. These berries aren't doing it for me. Let's check out that place south of here and see what they have."

He unfurled his wings and followed his sister, "Alright, let's go fix that sweet tooth of yours before you start getting on my nerves."

"Shut up, Kratos."

* * *

Hera cautiously watched her son walk through the courtyard of Olympus. She needed to test him to see if it worked, "Ares, your father and I decided to invite all of the Titans that refused to fight in the _First Battle_ to the palace. He said he wanted to bring peace between the different pantheons. He's thinking about inviting a few that live on the other side of Africa. Have you met them yet?"

Ares almost walked past, ignoring his mother. She'd been nagging at him about marrying his sister for so long, most things she says nowadays, went in one ear and out the other.

He stopped in front of her, "Why are you askin'? You know I've never traveled to that part of the land. No, I don't know anyone over there. Mother, I don't care what you guys do. Whatever scheme you're cookin' up, leave me out of it. I got better thangs to do."

His mother gave him a soft smile, "I understand you're feeling a little grumpy right now, but you'll be fine. I only want what's best for you."

"What are you talking about? Never mind, I gotta go." Ares shook off the sense that something was off before he snapped his fingers, changing his clothing from a tunic to that of a short loincloth, his grieves, and his sword and shield. He questioned himself why he was wearing such loose-fitting clothes in the first place, then dismissed it just as quickly as his mind became busy with finding his brother, Hercules.

When he automatically launched into the air with his wings, it never occurred to him how he acquired them. His only thoughts were on his need to practice his sword fighting because he was feeling a little off today.

 **Key:**

 **Michonne-** Nike-Goddess of Victory.

 **Rick-** Ares-God of War.

 **Shane-** Kratos-God of Strength and Power.

 **Mary/Terminus-** Hera-Wife of Zeus.


	4. The Goddess of Victory

**The Goddess of Victory**

 ** _Then…_**

A few more hundred years have passed. As the world grew and advanced socially, industrially, scientifically and technologically, so did the immortal deities of this tale.

Once Nike and Kratos reached full maturity, each moved into their own homes on the surrounding peaks of Mt. Zambia.

"Kratos!" Nike flew in fast and stumbled ungracefully as she tried to land in her hurry to reach her brother.

She didn't understand why she decided to visit the West today. Something told her to go. She didn't question how she was prompted but she was grateful she went at the time she did. Her first thoughts were to get to her brother's home before anything else. She could have gone to her parents, but they wouldn't want to deal with anything that had to do with humans or Olympians. She would try the Olympians, but an inner warning told her that wouldn't be a good idea to go and visit them now. Plus, time was crucial, and she didn't have the minutes to spare traveling all that way and explain why she needed their help.

Hearing the urgency in her call, Kratos stopped punching his workout dummy and ran to catch her before she crashed into the ground.

"Nike, what's wrong?"

With a flushed face and her breath coming out in sporadic bursts, she sucked in some much-needed air before trying to explain, "Something's happened to the mortals in the West. Possibly all over the world." She bent and rested her hands on her knees to get her breath back, as her onyx and purple locs fell loosely over her shoulders.

Her brother made sure that she could stand on her own before taking a step back, "What… what's going on? Are you okay?"

Appearing calmer now, she raised a hand and swiped the sweat from her brow. Still slightly winded, she panted, "Something… I don't know what it is, was spreading across the land. I was flying overhead on my way to visit the Gullah people on the East Coast." She took in a few more deep breaths as her brother soothing rubbed her back. Silently encouraging her to continue.

"As I was approaching, I saw this grey fog floating across the ground, covering everything it could reach. I didn't think it was anything dangerous until I went close enough for the smoke to touch my feathers."

She paused staring into some far away memory for a couple of seconds.

Impatient to hear the rest, Kratos laid a light hand on her shoulder to get her attention back on the story. "And?" He began checking her over to see if there was any damage to her person. He raised one of her wings to inspect its violet feathers, "And… what happened?"

"They began to melt. Thank Mother Terran, I had the sense to back up before I lost them completely." A horrified look took over her features as she stared out into the beyond again, "But those people…" Her voice took on a tone of dread, "They started attacking each other. Biting and eating… killing. Then the ones who died got up and attacked anyone or anything that was still alive." She wiped the tears from her eyes.

Kratos conjured up a handkerchief and handed it to her, "So, the fog killed everyone it touched?"

Sniffing and blowing her nose, "That's the thing. When it touched them, only a few fell to its poison. And those were the ones that came back to life. Those that lived through it, were attacked and eaten by the ones who died first. Then _they_ came back. I don't understand how all of this could have happened, but I do know there are some humans that are still alive and need our help."

She walked over to the entrance of his home and he followed, "What are you plannin', sis?"

Nike heads toward his kitchen and started going through his cupboards to fill out a rucksack she found in his pantry, "Whatever that was, it only damaged my wings. Unlike the others, it didn't kill me when it touched me. I think I was protected by my immortality."

Kratos was able to reach and grab her shoulder and stop her from pulling out the dry foods she was trying to stuff in the bag. He eyed her suspiciously, "Nike. Please don't tell me you're going back there?"

"I have to do something. I didn't live all this time and spend so many centuries training not to do nothing. Those people didn't deserve what I saw happen to them. Yes, I'm going back there. I don't care if I lose my powers. It didn't kill me on the spot, and what would be the point of having this power if I don't do anything with it?"

There are too many good people down there to have to fight this on their own. Something… some instinct is telling me I have to go. Something I'm meant to do." She bent down to look for anything else she could take. "I have to go home and pack some clothes and whatever else I can take with me." She started to leave when she turned back and hugged her brother.

"I don't know if I'll make it back. Just know I love you and I'll come home when I can."

Kratos stayed silent the rest of the time she rushed around his home picking up useless items that would do her no good if what she said was true. When she headed outside to leave, he just plucked the bag out of her hands. When she turned to ask why he took it. He guided her to sit down at the bench located in his backyard.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you run off into a dangerous situation where there's no guarantee you won't be affected or hurt by whatever that shit is? Alone? You got me fucked up. You must have forgotten who you're related too." He was heated that she would take on this task without him. "You said they were killing each other. There's no way I'm gonna stay here while-…"

They were interrupted by the deity that had been a part of their lives since they could remember. "I saw you fly in and heard what's going on. Your brother is right. You can't go back there by yourself."

The siblings paused, and both turned to the intruder. He stood there wearing a black 3-piece morning suit with a navy-gray paisley ascot tie. His dark hair was neatly pulled back into a tight ponytail.

Compared to her brother, whose curly hair did what it wanted and his dark loose t-shirt and comfy jeans, the man looked way overdressed. "Lexos, while I appreciate you agreeing with me, I don't appreciate you stalking my sister and walking yo happy ass up into my house. What the fuck do you want?"

Shocked, Nike looked at her brother with surprise. She knew Kratos didn't like the god from the North, but she'd never heard him talk to him like that. Lexos never bothered her that much. He may have been annoying sometimes, though never enough for her to be downright rude to him.

He started coming around a few decades ago and they dated for a few years. The fact he thought very highly of himself and had selfish tendencies ended that part of their relationship. He wasn't a bad guy, just a little bougie for her to take seriously, but she was still friends with him.

"Duty calls, Lexos. I'm heading out now. Bye."

Kratos walked back toward his house, "No, she means _we_ are heading out. See yourself out the door since you found your way in." He didn't wait to see if the intruder acknowledged what he said when he spoke to his sister, "Nike, let me show you what we'll need to take for this trip. If it's as you say it is, we're gonna need better equipment than what you put in that bag."

Nike gave Lexos a little wave then followed Kratos through the door. They didn't expect him to come back inside, "I heard what she said about the fog and I want to help."

Kratos had stopped in front of another cabinet that Nike missed and pulled out two brand new compression backpacks. He tossed them over then bent down to pull out more items, "We'll need lightweight bags that will carry a multitude of items for survival, plus our weapons."

Nike looked over at Lexos, who still stood there waiting for someone to talk to him. "Lex, I appreciate you wanting to help, but you have no idea what your volunteering for and knowing you, it's probably not your cup of tea."

Lexos protested, "You both forget who I am. I am the god of capriciousness. I have existed on this earth for thousands of years and there is nothing that I cannot do."

Kratos ignored him like he usually does, "Nike, can you go to the pantry and pull out that box of MRE's? And, there is a package of water pills. We don't know if we'll have access to fresh water. Those will work just in case. I'll get the medkits and we'll need weapons."

Nike went to do what he asked when he also told her, "After you get that, go home and get some sturdy clothes for protection. You'll need some good shoes or boots… yeah, boots are better. Preferably leather, and some thick socks." He sighed and looked at the eager god of whatever, "Look… god of paprika, you go home too and get geared up. Meet us back here at dawn. If you don't make it, we'll leave without you."

They both departed to get prepared. After visiting her parents informing them about the situation and their refusal to get involved, Nike came back to help her brother with the supplies. Kratos was out in his backyard packing their bags when she landed in front of him. He did a double take at the clothes she wore, "What are you doing back here and what part of that outfit is sturdy?" He took in her tight leather pants, burgundy leather sleeveless vest, and thick, leathered-soled combat boots.

She looked down at what she was wearing, "What? You said sturdy. These are, and you know what's even better? It's flexible. I've witnessed how fast they move, remember? See, check it out." Nike squatted, then jumped up and performed several kicks in the air. She conjured her sword and demonstrated well-coordinated swings.

When she was finished, he stood next to her, "Well, since you're back, we might as well strap up."

"Strap up?"

"Something uncle used to say to me when he took me huntin'. We need to pick out what firearms to use." He went into his den and opened a metal cabinet filled with all sorts of hardware: Shotguns, revolvers, pistols, rifles, a bazooka and several other guns she didn't recognize.

"That's a huge arsenal, brother. Since we don't know how we're gonna be affected once we get there, we won't be able to take much. At least, nothing too heavy." She held up her sword, "We should concentrate on taking melee weapons. My sword should work."

Kratos laughed while rubbing the back of his head. "You're the sword lady, so you stick with that. I'll stick with my guns. Thank you very much. Speaking of your blade, make sure to pick the one that's your favorite and the form you work with the best. You might not be able to switch or change it once we arrive."

He started to pick out which firearm he wanted to take, "You might want to get in a little practice with whatever sword you take. Don't want you being all rusty and shit."

Nike scoffed at her brother, "Who are you calling rusty? I'll have you know, I was trained by the best…" She stopped mid-sentence when an image of azure, blue eyes flashed through her memories. Then, quickly disappeared before she had time to ascertain to whom they belonged. She couldn't recall when and where she encountered someone with that extraordinary eye color.

Kratos noticed his sister quit talking and found her staring off into space, "Hey. What's up? What are you looking at?"

She shook her head as if coming out of a daze, "Uhm… nothing. I was just lost in thought." She ran a hand over her face to try and wipe her confusion away. "I… what was I saying? Oh, yeah, I was trained by the best."

"Who?"

"You silly. Anyway, you're right. I should practice and be ready for the morning. I know exactly where we need to go. See you later."

* * *

At dawn, Lexos did make it on time. However, his choice of clothing made Kratos' annoyance overflow. He wore a light, tan Leisure Suit with golden cufflinks and matching soft, lambskin loafers. His hair once again neatly pulled back.

"Do we look like we're going on vacation to you?" Kratos waved a hand over himself and Nike. He wore dark khaki pants with plenty of pockets, a black t-shirt, shoulder harness that held two Glocks, a pistol in his waist and a revolver on his hip. He had two shotguns strapped behind his pack and a hunting knife tied to his thigh.

Nike had chosen the Katana as her sword of choice. It was nestled away in a scabbard made of lacquered wood, slung across her back. Two long knives were tied to her thighs and after arguing with her brother for an hour, she wore a hip holster equipped with a 35mm pistol. She wore the same outfit from the night before and looked ever much the warrior goddess she was.

Nike knew Lexos would show up sans weapons, so she picked up the bowie knife, sheath, and a gun and holster, handing them to him. "Here, you'll need these There's no guarantee when we land if we'll retain our powers, Lexos. I like you and you've been a good friend…" she ignored her brother's low growl, "but where we're going is dangerous and we'll need to have each other's back as well as protect our own selves. I'm telling you right now, I'll do whatever I can that's within my power to make sure you stay safe, but if you endanger my brother, an innocent or me, I will have no problem walking away from you. This is not a game and I need you to understand what you're getting into."

She didn't see the smirk of pride on her brother's face. He was relieved to find that his sister wasn't so blind and enamored by this greaseball that had been plaguing him for centuries. Why couldn't he find a friend that made some goddamn sense?

* * *

Nike's instincts landed them in the middle of a forest located in the hot and humid state of Georgia, USA. As soon as they touched down, the items they carried became quite heavy. She now felt the weight of the Katana on her back and her breasts felt heavier. She didn't feel any pain but scattered all around on the ground were black and brown feathers.

She inspected Kratos. His wings had just melted away. The bones disintegrated but everything else looked to be intact. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I am, but…" Kratos, however, stared at his sister as if she had grown two heads.

Nike began feeling all over her body, trying to figure out why he was looking at her all crazy, "What? What's wrong? Is there something on me?" She spun in a circle trying to see for herself. Her ass was still there, boobs okay, and she still had her weapons. When she came to a stop from her spin, a loc of her hair smacked her in the face. She unconsciously caught it to swipe it back… then froze in mid-swipe.

Holding her hair in growing horror, "What the fuck," she screeched. She grabbed several more locs to make sure that what she was seeing was true.

Lexos paid no attention and was seemingly only concerned his clothing and shoes were as dirt free as possible.

Almost in a panic, Nike gawked in disbelief at her hair. For the past few years, she began growing it out in bands of twisted locks. Somehow, whatever was in the air and killing mortals, stripped her hair of all its purple color.

She was horrified.

"My hair!"

Kratos strolled up to her and grabbed his sister's shoulders to halt her frantic motions. "Nike, would you please stop freaking out? Hold still," he demanded. When she paused, he placed his hands on both cheeks to give closer inspection to her pupils. "Don't be upset, but your eyes have lost their color, too."

To calm her down, he pulled her into his arms, "Shh, shh, shh… it's okay, baby sis. You're still beautiful. The color of your hair and eyes don't make up who you are. They're both a beautiful brown, just like those sweets of yours."

Sniffing back her tears, she asked, confused, "What sweets are you talking about, Kratos?"

Before he could try to answer the question he had no idea how to answer, or even question why he even said it, growling and yelling erupted from somewhere north in the forest. Going on their instincts, they forgot about hair color, losing their wings, sweets, and ran straight for the danger.

Nike ran ahead of her brother, while Lexos lagged behind… not feeling too keen in whatever was up ahead that may harm him. As they reached a clearing, the walking dead she described could be seen attacking a small group of people fighting them back. Without focusing too much on the living, Nike and Kratos jumped into the fray as Lexos kept to the edges of the clearing.

In his mind, he was watching out for any stray monsters that might attack the group from the outskirts.

Nike whipped out her sword and started cutting and stabbing while Kratos targeted and shot them full of holes.

One of the survivors with long greying dreadlocks yelled, "You must target the brain. If not, they will continue to advance with dire consequences!"

Grateful for the suggestion, they all worked together to stop the flesh-eaters. Nike had finished cutting one down when the cries of a young person caught her attention. While Lexos looked on and made no move to help, she followed the sound and tracked it to find a young boy of around twelve years of age, clinging to a branch high in a tree. Two of the undead must have heard or smelled him, for they were now trying to claw their way up to reach him.

Fortunately, critical thinking or rational thought was not part of their anatomy anymore, so they couldn't figure out how to climb and get the food they were seeking. The boy wore a checkered long-sleeve button down and blue jeans with hiking boots. He was scared but he wasn't hysterical as another child would be and there was something oddly familiar about him, but Nike was too busy to think on it much. It didn't take her long to dispatch the ones after him while the Kratos and the unknowns took care of the rest.

When she helped him down, the gangly pre-teen with dark hair ran over to hide behind the one with the grey locks. While holding onto his coat, the young one peeked out from behind and that's when Nike recognized that extraordinary eye color. She'd seen it before, just not who. She knew she'd never met the kid before, so it had to have been someone else, right?

She was taken away from her musings when the older gentleman began to speak. "I would thank you both for your assistance in our time of need."

Lexos raised a finger, "Hey! I helped. I made sure that nothing came from behind to attack you."

Kratos just shook his head, "Yeah, by staying on the outside of the clearing, thanks. At least I didn't have to worry about you getting in the way."

Nike didn't have time to get between her brother and their friend's squabble, so she spoke to the, what she assumed, leader of the small band of three, plus the little boy. "We're glad we got here on time. Can you tell us what happened? How did you get here and are there any more survivors?"

The leader looked at the men that were with him. One of Asian descent, the other sporting long, flowing hair, and a full beard and the last… a big dude that looked like he could bench press an elephant, but his jolly smile said he wouldn't do that if it would hurt the animal.

"Before we get distracted, we need to go back to our camp. It's fortified to keep out the dead. We were only out here to find this little one here," he ran a hand over the boy's dark hair, "He has the habit of running off. Come with us to our camp and we'll discuss everything there."

The siblings looked to each other to see if they were both cool going to another location with these strangers. It didn't take them long to decide because it was getting dark and they needed answers. If they tried anything, they could take care of themselves.

* * *

Their camp consisted of a cleared-out area of trees with a blockade of barbwire. Several tents had been erected and a campfire had been built in the middle. The leader suggested they all sit around the fire, facing each other. Once everyone settled the leader spoke first. "I may not know your names or where you hail from, but I know you are our kin. I am Poseidon, lord, and ruler of the Oceans. This is Oceanus, former ruler of the sea of which I took over. Hermes, my nephew, the messenger." He reached a hand out and slapped the giant bear of a man with long dark hair and a full beard. "Last by not least, my closest companion. Dionysius, the god of wine and theatre."

Kratos, Nike and Lexos' eye grew wide in surprise.

"What is thou names given at birth?"

They made their introductions, explained how they lived on the other side of the African continent. How their parents stayed out of the war and never met any of the Olympians.

"The war between the Titans an Olympians has been over for a long time. Things are better between us." He pointed to several bodies piled a few feet away from their protective fence, "See those bodies yonder? Those are the immortal enemies of the Titans and the Olympians. The Whisperers. When I found out what happened, I was informed they were here to try and take over the world of man. The devastation here was an easy way for them to take advantage."

Nike tried to get more clarification, "So, out of all the Olympians and Titans, only the three of you came? Where's the rest of you?"

Hermes took over the conversation, "Some of our people were informed. They felt it wasn't their business what happens to mortals. Others were away from Olympus and we didn't have time to track them down. We're hoping they'll be told when they get back."

Still smarting over her parent's uncaring attitude, Nike replied, "Your people are just as selfish as our parents."

The Titan, Oceanus argued, "Well, I wouldn't say all of them are like that. Only about half. Except for my wife, Tethys. I asked her to stay behind. I didn't want her anywhere near this dangerous place."

Hermes, the Olympian added, "Speaking of dangerous. The undead is not the worst thing we'll have to deal with. If we cannot stop them here, then they could become powerful enough to defeat the Olympians and Titans combined."

The trees around them were bathed in darkness and only the crackling of the fire filled the air along with their soft-spoken words. Lexos seemed bored and began to clean out his nails when the siblings turned to the king.

"I am well aware of the siblings of Alkebulan's prowess on the battlefield and encouraging the downtrodden to successful campaigns. Nike, I would ask that you head my army that will include mortals and Kratos, I will need your assistance with recruitment. Who would be better but the goddess of Victory, with the god of power and strength at her side, of course? We will need to rebuild and help society protect themselves from their enemies. Foreign and domestic."

Lexos scoffed, "What about me? I'm no weakling."

The king rested an elbow on his knee, "I'm sorry, I've never heard of you. Who are you again?"

Highly offended, he puffed out his chest and replied, "I am the god of capriciousness."

Oceanus whispered to Hermes, "I have a feeling he doesn't understand what that word means."

Hermes replied back, "I think you're right. He looks dumb. We'll have to keep an eye out for him. Nike and Kratos don't seem to see that his stupidity could put us all in danger."

Nike asked the king, "I accept your request. I have a few questions. Since we don't have our powers, how will we recognize the Whisperers?

"It's simple, they all have the mark of the Omega (ꭥ) on their forearms. We've discussed how we plan to keep our identities from becoming known. Though they may not know us from our faces, they know us from our names. And, we've decided that changing them while we are on this plane to keep us hidden was the best way. I shall be known from now on as King Ezekiel. Oceanus has chosen the name Glenn Rhee and Hermes picked Paul Jesus Rovia. They have their own reasons for why they picked those names. I have chosen because I am the king and will not give up my birthright."

He pulled a blanket over the young boy who was snuggled up on his side, fast asleep, "This young'un here is Karlakos. The Whisperers wouldn't know who he is, but he wanted to change it in honor of his new environment and new life.

"As the leader of my vanguard, I suggest you choose a name for yourselves and choose wisely"

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Key:**

 **Michonne-** Nike-Goddess of Victory.

 **Shane-** Kratos-God of Strength and Power.

 **King Ezekiel** -Poseidon-Olympian God of the Sea.

 **Glenn** -Oceanus-Titan of the Tea.

 **Jesus-** Hermes-God of athletes, thieves, and adventures. Messenger and trickster of the gods.

 **Jerry** -Dionysius-God of Wine and Theatre.

 **Dominic** -Lexos-God of Capriciousness.


	5. The God of War

**The God of War**

 ** _Now…_**

High up in the palace of Olympus, Ares' stern and rigid form stood leaning impatiently against the balcony, overlooking the sunrise over the Aegean Sea. He had recently been pulled from a battle with the Olympian's mortal enemy, the Whisperers.

He would still be there fighting if not for an urgent message from his father, Zeus. He now waited for the jerky-addled god to make an appearance.

The sun was setting when he finally showed himself.

The king of the gods, wearing his golden tunic, strolled out onto the balcony as if Ares hadn't been there all day at his insistence, "My boy! It's so wonderful to see you."

Taking in his father's regal appearance, Ares growled, "Cut the crap, old man. You pulled me from a fight with some entitled assholes. Then you had the nerve to make me wait out here all day on your ass. Don't come at me all happy and shit. What do you want?"

Zeus' shit-eating grin slowly disappeared, "What happened to you, Ares? You've been an ass for centuries now. You used to smile… make jokes. Is it because you're full-grown now?" His voice became louder, more menacing, "Did a stick grow up your ass, along with the muscles on your body?" He leaned an elbow on the railing as he seemed truly perplexed as to why his son was so mean.

Used to his father's hot and cold personality, Ares just rolled his eyes. "Would you mind hurrying up and tell me what you want? I've got things to do."

Zeus shook his head, he wasn't finished, "You used to be a nice boy. When you were younger, you'd get a funky attitude, go away for a while, then come back and be nicer than shit. Now you stomp around here every time I see you. You don't mind your mother. You won't even speak to me unless I say something first." He straightened and placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "At first, it was good that you started taking your role seriously. Who wants a goofy god of war?" Zeus clapped his hand down, "But son, you've taken rigid to a whole other level."

With the sun's disappearance, the surrounding darkness was suddenly illuminated by lanterns magically igniting along the balcony railings. Ares's battle gear gleamed brightly in the torch's firelight. Seeing them alight, brought to the back of his mind, a vague recollection of beautiful eyes of violet. Turning his head in confusion, Ares tried to trace where the memory came from.

It eluded him and his father's heavy breathing reminded him he was in the middle of a soon-to-be heated argument, "You and Hera-… "

"You're supposed to call her Mother."

Ares continued as if he wasn't interrupted, "… Hera has been hounding me since forever. I've done what you've asked, and y'all still bitchin'."

Zeus stroked his peppered beard, contemplating and reluctantly agreeing that as far as his son's war record, there is no one that could compare to his achievements and victories. "You're right. You are the God of War. You did that. But, what about your marriage to Aphrodite? You didn't do that."

"Nor do I plan to. She's married to our brother, Hephaestus, so why does she insist on harassing me? Y'all may be cool with incest, but I'm not. I will destroy myself and this building before even thinking about that bitch touching me."

"Watch it. She's your sister."

"Like I said… that bitch will do just fine without me. I don't appreciate the times her nasty ass walked into my room butt naked. Why do you think I moved into another palace far away from this place and put up a barrier? And I sure as fuck didn't appreciate being kidnapped, tied up and held captive in a cave, just so she could force me to marry her."

The memory of one of his mother and his sister's shittiest schemes replayed in his mind, his fist tightened on the hilt of his sword, "Since you haven't said anything I don't already know, may I go back to the battlefront? I don't want to see either of those two manipulating wenches. After I leave, you can tell that bitch-… "

"Dammit Ares, that's your mother!"

Ares scratched his bearded jaw and took a deep breath as if to apologize, "Tell that bitch, stop pushing Af-ho-ditee on me because the next time the subject comes up, I'm gonna hit 'em both with a lightning bolt. You got that?"

He poked his father in the chest for emphasis.

Shocked, Zeus placed his hand where Ares' finger damn near put a bruise. If a god could bruise in their universe. "Ares, goddamn. You are one mean son-of-a-bitch."

He wagged his finger at his father, "Ah-ah-ah… she's your wife."

"Look, I can call her a bitch because I chose her. Just as she can call me whatever the fuck she wants. You, however, didn't… so you don't get to call Hera a bitch."

Ares again, ignored his father's dumb request, backed away then looked around, "Where's your familiar, Lonzo?" He searched for his father's ever-present golden eagle that was spoiled, lazy and entitled all because he was the right-hand to the King of the gods. Ares usually punched the bird in the face whenever his father wasn't looking, "I'm surprised he's not here trying to crawl up your ass."

Miffed at the insult thrown at his most trusted confidant, Zeus scowled at his son, "I will not have you slander Alonzonikos like that. He is the best familiar anyone could ever have."

Ares put his hands up, "Whatever. I'm outta here."

Zeus halted his exit, "Wait. I didn't call you here to argue. I called to ask you for your help."

He turned back to stand in front of his father, "And what could the almighty Zeus need with my help beside fighting his own family?"

Zeus crossed his arms across his chest defensively, "How about rescuing family instead?"

Before Ares could answer, he felt someone coming up behind him. Ares' face first tensed up then relaxed when his first cousin once removed, Atlas, walked around with his hands up. "I already know you don't like folks sneaking up on you. See… I didn't even touch. What's up? What did Zeus say now to get you all pissy looking again?"

"I… am… not… pissy looking," Ares huffed.

The son of his father's brother slowly shuffled his way making sure that Ares could see his intentions and gave him a playful punch in the arm. His shoulder-length shaggy hair and his dark clothing looking as raggedy as ever. "Hey man, I would spend the rest of the night explaining why you always act like a dick, but your dad asked me to come. Said he got something important to discuss."

Leaning closer, he whispered, "He also wants me to hold you back when he tells you somethin'. So, I'm askin' and letting you know I'm gonna put my arms on you."

Ares stood straight, his armor clinking loudly in the night, "What the Hades did you do now, old man?"

Zeus glared at Atlas, "Did you really have to tell him that?"

"It's the truth, and I ain't gettin' fried for nobody. Now say what you have ta say."

The king of the gods strolled over to one of the many stone benches that littered the balcony and sat down. "There's a problem down in the land of mortals."

Ares folded his arms, "So?"

"A year ago, they created a virus weapon to destroy their enemies, but it backfired. Instead, it infected the whole world."

Now worried, he dropped his hands and leaned toward his father, "Why wasn't I told about this? What has it done to the population here?"

Putting his hands up to placate his son, Zeus reassured him, "Don't worry, I was able to put a barrier around Europe and Africa before it hit. Unfortunately, North America has been affected."

Ares began to pace, "What does that mean, ' _affected_ '? Are they dead? Are you planning on doing something about it? Are any of our people down there?" Needing something to do with his hands besides strangling his father, he ran them through his high and tight buzzcut as he waited for an answer to his questions.

"My brother, your uncle Poseidon, decided he wanted to play hero. He took Hermes, Dionysius, and Oceanus with him."

"it's just the four of them? Okay, that's not so bad."

"At first."

"Come again? Who else?"

"After we lost contact-… "

Ares dragged his hands down his face, "Jeez!"

"A year went by when we lost contact. Theia, your aunt made the decision to go after them. Oceanus' wife, Tethys, and Athena went with her."

Massaging his temples as if a headache was coming on, Ares sighed, "So, Poseidon's been gone a year. And when did the second group leave? Did you lose them too?" He went and sat down on a bench across from Zeus and rested his elbows on his knees.

Atlas stood by his side, prepared to hold him down when the time came. Cause it's coming.

Reluctantly, Zeus gave him what he didn't want to hear, "She left last week. Apparently, whatever toxicity that's in the air over there, renders us to mortal status. I'm just not sure how far." Before his son could protest, he flicked his hand in the air with frustration, "Look, I didn't know what it could do to us. I tried talking P out of going and Theia is just as stubborn."

"Let me get this straight, whatever is in the air, makes them no longer immortal. They can die?"

"That is the theory, as far as I know. I searched for them. I got as close to the infected area as possible and felt my power draining slowly. I got out before it left completely."

"I hate to say this, but why should I go after grown ass adults who made a decision of their own free will? They can handle themselves." He stood and made a couple of steps to leave.

"Wait. When the Whisperers got wind that Poseidon was vulnerable in the mortal world, they sent a battalion of their people. He doesn't know, and I need someone with skills to find him and the rest of our family and get them out of there. We may have our issues, but I will not allow some second-rate deities lay a hand on my brother."

"So, you're sending your son… me, into humankind's own self-destruction, right?"

"There's another specific reason why I'm sending you." He gave a grave nod to Atlas.

Ares noticed that Atlas had slipped behind him and gave him another whispered an apology. His hands were ready to grip the god of war at any moment.

 _'What the blazes is going on?'_

Swinging his attention back to Zeus, his eyes narrowed, "What the fuck did you do?"

* * *

Zeus stood and backed up a couple of feet, his hands up, placating, "Now son, first let me explain something to you first. I just want to say, I had no knowledge of this until after Theia left. I don't want any retaliation towards me, and even though she deserves it, don't hurt your mother."

"I can't make any promises, because I'm about to light your ass on fire if you don't get on with it."

Zeus nodded again toward Atlas to get ready.

Ares caught the look, "You're right in front of me, I can see that." Turning toward Atlas, "Good luck holding me if it's really that bad. Let's hear it, old man."

Zeus cleared his throat then swallowed the lump that formed. "As I said, I only found this out after your aunt left." he sighed, "You know how your mother has been relentlessly badgering you to marry Aphrodite?"

"Yeah… and?"

"Well, she got tired of your refusal. So, she took matters into her own hand."

Scratching the crisp hairs on his chin, Ares irritation began to grow, "And that means…?"

Zeus sighed again before rushing out, "She stole your blood while you were asleep and created an offspring from your DNA." He went on to explain, "You know, just like I created Athena. She's my daughter, alone. She has no mother. And now, so does your son."

Stunned, Ares was frozen to the spot.

His mind was tripping. He took a couple of seconds to comprehend just what exactly his father was saying about what his mother had done, that his family had the gall to do some shit like that to him. Before he could make a move, however, the strong, beefy arms of the god that held up the world, clamped tight around Ares.

Atlas, as strong as he was, barely held onto the god of war when the shock of Zeus' news started to wear off. Earlier, when Zeus asked for his help, he didn't know it was going to be this bad. He was of the mind to let Ares go and just let him annihilate his parents. After some shit like that, someone needs their ass beat and beat badly. He tried to calm his friend anyway, "Dude, I know you are pissed but hear him out. Afterward, if you want to fuck him up. I won't stand in your way.

Zeus paused, "Thanks a lot, Atlas."

"You're welcome."

Ares asked, "How long ago did this happen?"

Afraid of what his son might do, he cautiously told him, "From what I got out of her, he was born a couple hundred years ago."

Not a single muscle moved as Ares interrogated Zeus, "So, he's not fully grown. What's his name? And, where is he? I want to meet him and get him as far away from you as possible."

Zeus eyed Atlas hard, "Keep your grip on him."

"What?" Ares struggled when the arms tightened their hold on him.

"His name is Karlakos. When he was born, your mother placed him on the island of Lykos. That's where he would have been in contact with my brother. I don't think Poseidon knows the circumstances of his birth, but he was alone and P sort of became his mentor. When he decided to be a hero in the West, Karlakos wanted to go with him. P said no, but like his father, you, he's stubborn. P transformed into a winged serpent to travel and didn't realize that Karlakos stowed away under his wings."

"How the fuck do you know all this?" He jerked to loosen Atlas' grip on him. He was about to start kicking knees when Zeus held up his hand and conjured an image of a young boy with dark hair, about the age of a mortal 12-year-old, climbing up on the back of an aqua, blue-green dragon. He kept watching until the dragon disappeared into the evening sky.

"This is the image I got from your mother after she told me everything. When P first left, I was only able to track him from the air once he landed. I did see a young man with him and the rest, but I assumed he was just a human they had saved. So, I didn't' think anything of it. When Hera came over and saw the little boy, she threw a fit. I didn't understand her reaction at the time and why she would care about a human child. I thought she was being her normally overdramatic self."

Ares stood stock still as he continued to listen, biding his time to strike.

"After I lost contact with Theia and her group, I couldn't find any signature of their auras, or retrieve them, I told your mother I was sending you down. She knew that once you found Poseidon and the rest of the family, you would find Karlakos. That's when she confessed. There'd be no way you wouldn't know exactly who he was, no mistaken he was your son. She was afraid of what you'd do when you came back."

Ares' tension visibly relaxed, "You say you didn't know about Karlakos before last week?" Atlas assumed that Ares was cooling down and let loose his hold. Once he let go, his friend bent down on one knee to tighten the strings of his sandals, then stood and began securing his breastplate more securely to his torso. When he began pacing the balcony and adjusting other parts of his armor, Atlas questioned whether he may have assumed wrong and would need to grab his boy before it was too late.

Zeus didn't seem aware that his own flesh and blood was about to hand him his ass, "No, son. I didn't."

Ares bent his neck to the left and then to the right, the sound of two cracks echoing loud into the night, "Atlas gather everyone who wants to volunteer. If it's true we'll lose our powers upon touchdown in the infected area, I want all the supplies we'll need. Food, water, clothing, and medkits. For every person, one bag each. Make sure they have human-made firearms."

"What about other types of weapons: blades, knives… bow and arrows?"

"I want my hardware. If you decide to take other melee weapons, that's on you. We only take what we can carry. I'll meet you at the palace gates at dawn."

Atlas nodded, "I'll see that it's done."

"Good." Ares then stepped back closer to the railing. Under the bright moonlight that settled over the Aegean, he unfurled his raven wings. He still didn't know how it came about that he had them. He was the only one in his immediate family, with the exception of his nephew, Eros. He just knew that they had been a part of his life for centuries.

Once they were fully spread, they cast a shadow over Zeus and Atlas. With a snap of his finger, his mother appeared. She had been in the midst of shoving cheese into her mouth when she suddenly appeared outside on the balcony with her son and husband. "Why have you summoned me here? Can't you see I am in the middle of eating my evening meal? You could have sent a message, this is just rude."

Ares ignored his mother's contempt and his father's wide-eyed gaze, "You created a life from my blood to whore out to your nasty ass daughter." As he spoke, his wings flapped once… raising him into the air. His azure eyes began to glow with fiery heat, "You thought I hated you before. I never did, but now I detest you," he sneered.

His glowing gaze simmered a bit when he turned to Atlas, "You might wanna move." The fire came back when he continued to rise and unsheathed his sword. Atlas gave Zeus a sympathetic glance, "Sucks to be you." Then stepped way out of the way.

Zeus' head raised as he watched, "Oh, shit." Both his parents were frozen at the spectacle that rose above them. The sword illuminated brightly as it was unveiled. Black wings gently held Ares aloft as he raised the blade to catch the moon's rays then warped them into a sparkling arc of electricity. His sword sizzled and crackled with intensity as he drew in more power to raise the voltage. "You motherfuckers have been screwing with my life for too long. Dad, I've put up with your bullshit and you bowing down to that woman, doing anything she asks, even when you knew it was wrong. You should have told me as soon as you knew I had a son. I don't give a fuck if it's only been a week. As for you," he pointed his blade toward his mother, "I got nothing to say, except I know about Karlakos. And when and if we survive and able to come back here… you better not be." He palmed the hilt in both hands and blasted his parents with a white, sizzling lightning bolt.

Zeus didn't even attempt to try and run because his son was right. He stood by and watched his wife do vile things and that made him just as guilty. Hopefully, his plan will forge a path of forgiveness from his son. Hera screamed and tried to hide behind her husband, but he grabbed her shoulders to face the fire head-on.

Ares didn't kill his parents. He couldn't even if he wanted to. Not in their universe. No, he just burnt them the fuck up and though they won't expire, they'll be in a lot of pain for a while and remember this shit for eternity.

Atlas stood to the side covering his mouth to keep his laughter from spilling out. Hearing his name called, he turned to Ares still hovering, "I'll see you in the morning." He sheathed his sword then flew high into the air, disappearing into the night to go home and prepared to not ever set foot on Olympus's mountain again.

* * *

"Everyone here?" Ares asked when he touched down near Olympus's gates among the group of deities and immortals waiting for him. He took stalk of all the ones willing to travel on this dangerous journey. "Atlas explained where we're going and what might happen?"

They all gave an affirmative.

His head dropped in disappointment when he felt another presence who had the nerve to walk up behind him and this person knew exactly how he felt about that but tried it anyway.

Without looking back or turning around, he growled, "You touch me and I'll roast your ass like Zeus and Hera."

Ares heard a gasp and then a blonde female walked cautiously around him, shock radiating off her, "Ares, I didn't mean-…"

He cut her off, "Doesn't matter what you meant, Medea. You know I hate for people to touch me without permission."

Miffed that he treated her that way, she huffed, "I don't understand why you won't let me touch you. We've been together-…"

Ares walked away from the group, who's curious eyes and ears strained to watch and listen for the drama to unfold. He crooked his finger at Medea for her to follow him. "Medea let's get this straight and this is the last time I'm gonna say this. We are not together. We had a mutual affair decades ago. I made it clear back then that's all it was and all it would ever be. We," he pointed to her and then to himself, "are not meant to be. You cemented that fact when you conspired with my sister with another kidnapping. The only reason you are allowed in my presence today is that you came to your senses and warned me about what was about to happen. But as far as you and me… that's done and won't ever happen again."

He folded his arms, "If you're going on this quest to find our family, I need you to fully understand the dangers we may encounter, how we may never get back to Olympus, and there is no _us_. I will not grant special favors because of our past, you will not talk to me as if I am your boyfriend. I am your commanding officer and you will not touch me whenever you feel like it."

Medea winced at his last sentence but kept silent.

"Do we have an understanding, Medea?"

A tear rolled down her cheek, but Ares would not be swayed by her tears. There was nothing else for her to say, except to nod she understood.

As he walked back over to the group, the memory of busting her sneaking into his room and trying to slip a sleeping agent into his canteen of water came back. She tried to cry her way out of it. That didn't work. It was only when Ares explained that this attempted kidnapping wasn't going to give Medea what she wanted. Aphrodite wanted him for herself and Medea was only being used to do the dirty work. After she confessed everything, he banned her for a year not to speak or look at him and for his sister's punishment, he locked her and her husband Hephaestus in a cave for five years. They haven't bothered him since then.

Last night, after he left the Halls of Olympus, he went home to put together his strategy for this campaign. "Zeus informed me, The Whisperers is on the ground. They know who we are, and we know who _they_ are. That means we'll be dealing with them along with whatever this virus did to the mortals."

Hercules interjected, "Are you saying we have to go in disguise?"

Ares put his hands on his hips and cocked his head, "Well, I don't know about all that. All we'll need to do is change our clothing and our names." He snapped his fingers and he was suddenly wearing a tan button-down shirt made of soft cotton, serviceable dark-blue jeans, and worn cowboy boots. He conjured up a black leather belt with a holster and when he opened his palm, a silver coated Colt Python appeared in his hand. He checked the chamber, holstered it then held his hand out to Atlas.

With a North American southern accent, he greeted, "Hi, I'm Rick Grimes."

 **A/N: Thanks for reading :) Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.**

 **Key:**

 **Rick-** Ares-God of War.

 **Daryl-** Atlas-Titan God of Endurance.

 **Negan-** Zeus-Lord of the Sky.

 **Carol** -Theia-Titanide goddess and Mother of the Sun, Moon and the dawn.

 **Maggie** -Tethys-Titanide goddess of Nursing of all Life.

 **Abraham-** Hercules-World's Greatest Hero.

 **Tyrese-** Helios-Titan god of the Sun and Light.

 **Sasha-** Selene-Titanide Goddess of the Moon.

 **Rosita-** Athena-Goddess of War and Wisdom.

 **Tara-** Artemis-Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt.

 **Noah-** Apollo-God of the Music and Healing.

 **Andrea-** Medea-Mortal sorcerous given immortality.

 **Eugene-** Hephaestus- God of Blacksmiths and Metallurgy.

 **Mary/Terminus-** Hera-Wife of Zeus.

 **Jadis-** Aphrodite-Goddess of Love.


	6. The Communities Part I

**The Communities Part I**

 ** _Three years later…_**

When Carl met the king all those years ago, their friendship never turned into a father/son dynamic. The lord of the sea only felt an obligation to him, an immortal boy growing up alone on an island. While he was grateful Ezekiel dropped by to say hello, Carl also yearned for something more.

It's been four years since he met the goddess of victory and though they had been rough; fighting for survival, rescuing people and making new friends. Then losing those new friends to their enemy, the Whisperers or to the walking dead. He would never regret meeting Michonne when she saved him in the woods that day.

She was so beautiful, fierce and kind, she immediately took him under her wings. He wished he could have seen her real wings, but she lost them right before they met each other. She and her brother, Shane, gave him what he didn't know he needed the first day he was born… a family.

They had found a location protected by high, brick walls. Carl had to sometimes get away from their safe-haven, The Kingdom because he felt cramped and needed space. Growing up on a huge island all by yourself is not something you can let go of in just a few years.

In a place he found a few months ago on one of his jaunts outside the kingdom, Carl sat reading quietly among the ruined buildings near the Atlantic Ocean's shores. He'd been alone for so long. No one to speak to, no one to tell his deepest fears, no one's shoulders to cry on. He never knew what it felt like to be just a kid, to have a mother hug him or kiss him on the forehead.

His mom… he always smiled whenever he thought about that word and for whom it was used, and who gave him just what he needed.

* * *

 _They had just found a place that they could use for shelter and protection. It was huge and there were plenty of buildings. The king said they had enough room for more survivors and it was perfect to start rebuilding society._

 _Carl had been training hard with Paul, Glenn, Shane, and Michonne for weeks. He was particularly adept to wielding the sword and no one was better at it than the goddess of victory. Her sword was a thing of beauty and he could watch her all day long using it against their enemies._

 _One hot summer day, she came to the open field where he waited on her to start their practice._

 _She carried a long package. Seeing that he was curious, she opened it and pulled out a katana that looked exactly like hers. Only, the handle was covered in black leather instead of white. She held it horizontal with reverence in both hands. She approached him slowly and went down on one knee and held it up to him._

 _"Carl, you have shown much strength, agility, and maturity during our training sessions. I brought this with me from the Alkebulan mountains. You have made me so proud with how you've adapted and how much you've accomplished in this world."_

 _She stood, "I calculated how old you were from the information given to me by King Ezekiel and from me and my brother's lifespan." She took a deep breath and smiled brightly, "Happy Birthday, Carl." She placed the sword and its sheath in Carl's hand._

 _Carl had no words, besides the king providing for him when he was alone on the island, this was the first time someone has ever given him anything… or celebrating his date of birth. He never knew it was something people did and for her to go through all the math to figure it out, made him speechless._

 _It was that day when his feelings changed from Michonne being his best friend to the love of a son for his mother._

 _All because she gave him his first birthday present._

* * *

Carl was grinning and staring blindly at his comic book when he heard a rustling sound near the entrance of the dilapidated home he chose to hang out.

* * *

Cyndie ducked down quickly before the young boy could spot her. She slowly crept backward until she could reach her home from the past. Slipping inside quietly, she made her way to her old room. This is the fourth time she'd seen him, and he always showed up around the same time of day. He must have gone into her house because those were her comics he was reading, the ones she came to take back to Alexandria.

Hiding under the bed, Cyndie thought she'd wait for the boy to leave then became lost in her memories…

* * *

 _Her community had just survived an attack from a horde of the dead. She, her grandmother and the others was clearing out the bodies when the sound of low murmuring caught their attention. Some group had surrounded their small village. The whispers continued as they walked out from the trees. These were warriors, not weak, mindless zombies. They slowly closed in on their community and commenced to striking down everyone in sight. Her grandmother had the foresight to make Cyndie hide in the bunker just as they swarmed in and there wasn't enough time to hide anyone else. Once she locked her in and covered the entrance with a rug, her grandmother ran from the spot and used herself as a decoy to lead the enemy away from her granddaughter._

 _Cyndie watched in horror through the cracks in the floor and along the walls, those men and women, wearing dusty clothing and with a large tattoo of a horseshoe on their forearms, kill every person she loved. She knew if she cried out, they would find her and kill her, too. When the carnage seemed to be over, she watched them begin to search every house… knocking down doors, tearing down walls and soon enough, they would find the hidden trap door in their home. Thus, finding her._

 _She had nowhere to go, there was only one way in and one way out and she could already hear them banging on her front door. She resigned herself to join her family._

 _It'll be over soon._

 _Just when she lost all hope, shots rang out and the screaming started again, this time it was the ones who wiped out her village that were terrified. The first person she saw was a bearded man, holding a large silver gun. He ran right into the middle of their community, gunning all of them down. He showed no mercy. Others followed behind him, shooting all the ones with the weird tattoo. There was even a shaggy looking guy with a crossbow. But her eyes kept going back to the first man._

 _When he ran out of bullets, he just put it away and used his fists. Those people were no match against his strength. He punched one, choked out another one, yanked the arm of woman three-feet taller than him and snapped it in half against his knee and then grabbed her by the chin and the back of her neck and with a quick yank, broke it._

 _Cyndie gasped and slapped a hand to her mouth as she backed up from the crack in the wall. He looked up as if he heard her from several feet away and she stared into the brightest, blue eyes she'd ever seen. He dropped the dead woman, looking around at his people to make sure they were okay. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but she saw him nod toward the spot where she hid. She scrambled back, looking for anything in the hide-e-hole that she could get under and there was nothing. Tucking herself into a corner she listened as heavy footsteps walked up onto their front porch, one kick that knocked the door in and hands brushing the rug aside._

 _Bright light poured in when the trap door was opened. With tears streaming down her face, Cyndie waited for the inevitable: To see shoes coming down the ladder, those shoes morphing into a person… a person coming to end her life._

 _That didn't happen._

 _Whoever opened the door, spoke quietly in a soft, southern lilt. "I know you're down there. I heard you cry out. I'm not going to hurt you and I'm sorry I didn't get here in time to save your family. If you come out and come with us, I promise you, I will keep you safe. No one will ever hurt you again."_

 _Scared, Cyndie couldn't fully trust the soft-spoken voice but she was dead either way. She crawled slowly out of her corner and made her way to the bottom of the ladder. Looking up, she totally expected to be shot in the face and her world ended._

 _That was not to be, for kneeling there holding the door open was the man that killed all those that destroyed her family, her home, and the world as she'd come to know it. Falling mesmerized into the blue of his eyes, he smiled gently down at her. "I'm Rick and I want you to come home with me and my family." He held out his hand._

* * *

That was three years ago, and he kept his promise. He took her under his wing, protected her, trained her to defend herself in techniques that she'd never heard of or even knew existed. Rick practically adopted her, and now she called him Dad. Her biological father passed when she was a baby, so she never had a father figure in her life and then the apocalypse happened. Her mother died immediately from the plague and it was her grandmother that founded Oceanside with a few other survivors and made it their home. They defended it with what little weapons they had against the undead.

Until that fateful day.

Now, at fifteen, she visits her old home every other week. He used to come with her but now that she's older, and proved she could protect herself, she went on her own. The first week she came alone was when she found the new boy who looked to be around her age. Today, she was a little bit miffed that he stole her comics, yet curious. Who was this kid coming out into the middle of nowhere, shacking away in broken down buildings only to read?

Trying to figure out the boy, she didn't see or hear when the subject of her thoughts stood quietly in front of the bed where she hid. Startled, first she saw worn hiking boots then piercing, blue eyes, "Hi. I'm Carl. "Why you hidin' under there?"

Cyndie didn't know how to answer. She wasn't scared, so why was she hiding? She made to move out from under the bed and he got out of her way. "I don't know. Maybe it's because some boy snuck into my house and stole my comic books. Is that a good enough reason?"

With his hands held behind his back and appearing nervous, Carl shrugged, "I guess you have a point there. My name is Carl, by the way."

She cocked her head and squinted at him, "You said that already."

He blushed, "Yeah, I did. So… this would be a good time for you to tell me your name."

She tapped a finger on her chin then pointed it at him, "How about we bargain. You give me back my comics and I will tell you my name."

The young man in a white, dusty t-shirt and grungy jeans and a sword hanging over his back, scoffed, "How is getting your name worth more than these comics? And, anyway how do I even know they're yours. You could be just saying that to take them from me. You're probably just some random stranger hanging out in an abandoned village. I won't give 'em back unless you prove it."

Ready for an argument, Cyndie rolled up her sleeves and placed her hands on her hips, "Let me get this straight. If I can prove to you those are my comic books, you'll give them back to me?"

He raised one hand while the other stayed behind his back, "I swear, if you can prove they're yours. I'll return them. Oh, and don't forget you owe me your name." He put his hand back down.

"Okay, wise guy," she sat down on her bed and closed her eyes, "You have Black Panther Volume 2, issues one, two, three and four… published in 1988."

Carl turned around and check the Black Panther books in his hand, she was right. "Okay, good guess. What else?"

Determined to get her property, she continued, "Hiding behind your back are 3 issues of my Giant-Size X-Men. Those started in 1975 and I had one thru four, but I lost issue two when I took them with me fishing. A walker attacked, and I dropped it in the ocean. We good, now?"

Carl turned around again. Checked the numbers and gave a quiet "Shit." When he faced her again, she had a smirk on her face. He'd give it to her, she knew her stuff. Cute, too. Smooth, light brown skin, and long dark curly hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore strange metal bracelets on her wrists.

She stood and reached out a hand for him to give them up. Carl held them in the air between them but kept his other hand still behind his back. "Alright, you proved the books are yours. Now can I have your name?"

She crossed her arms and leaned on her left leg, "As soon as you hand over my Black Panther, volume three, issue one. The first appearance of the Dora Milage. Do that then you'll get it."

Surprised, Carl brought out the exact comic book and then handed them all to her, "You got me."

Satisfied she got her comic books, she tucked them away in her green backpack. Told him, "Thank you," then walked out the room.

Carl's yell stopped her as he followed her to the front door, "Hey, I gave them all back. Why are you leaving, and you still haven't given me your name?"

She stopped with a hand on the doorframe, "My dad's waiting for me. Thanks for taking care of my books. My grandmother gave them to me. I'm Cyndie. See you around, Carl." She smiled and then was gone.


	7. The Communities Part II

**The Communities Part II**

Rick stood at the top of Alexandria's gate, watching and waiting for Cyndie to come back from her trip to her old village. He worried about her every time she walked past those gates. Didn't matter that she was one of his fiercest warriors. That day he rescued her all those years ago, filled a hole he didn't know he was missing. His son might still be out there. His plan to search for his family as soon as they landed was waylaid by the Whisperers attacking an oceanside village. After which, he made sure to take a small party every week to search for Karlakos and his other family members.

When he met Cyndie, she looked so small, scared and helpless. He promised himself and her that nothing would ever harm her. He took it upon himself that she received the best training just like his immortal recruits. It didn't matter that she was mortal. Thankfully, with her determination, she turned her mourning into fuel for her passion to be the best and excelled. No human being could beat her in combat and she even gave Rosita, Tara, Sasha, and even Daryl a run for their money.

He didn't think of her as a replacement for the son he lost but never met. Yet, her presence in his life softened him. He'd fought and trained for battles for so long, it wasn't a surprise his best friend and cousin, Daryl called him "Dick" when they were alone, instead of Rick. Because he was Daryl, and he meant no malice, and the fact Rick admitted to himself he was a dick to people sometimes, he didn't try and stop him.

He never thought he'd ever have a daughter and seeing her be able to laugh these days after their tragic meeting brought a familiar warmth to his heart, though he doesn't remember ever loving someone that much. He didn't think he had dad genes in him until one day, one of the young, male Alexandrians came up to his porch and asked him if he could take Cyndie out to lunch.

* * *

 _"How old are you?" Rick stood in the middle of his doorway, arms crossed and not even hinting at budging to invite the boy in._

 _Ben swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, "Uhm…sir, I'm uh, nineteen, sir."_

 _Rick rested his hand on the doorframe above his head, deepening his voice. "Cyndie is fourteen. I know it's the apocalypse, but why the fuck did you think you can come to my house and ask my fourteen-year-old daughter out on a date?" He leaned forward, "Do you realize that she's at an age where she could get pregnant? You gonna marry her? The fuck you're not! You think I'mma let some brown-nose pissant who doesn't even know how to shoot a gun, anywhere near my baby girl? I may not know all your customs but why are you even talking to me? Shouldn't you be talking to Cyndie?"_

 _Rick's rapid questions confused the young man and he didn't know what to say._

 _"You better not be talkin' to my daughter about dating. She's too fucking young. And, I'd hate to have to kill you. Now get the fuck off my porch!"_

 _Ben didn't even try to argue, he turned and jumped down the steps and fled to his house around the corner._

 _Daryl came strolling by and just shook his head at the boy flying past him literally crying and it also looked like he peed his pants. When he approached a fuming Rick still standing in his doorway, he teased his friend, "You know you made that boy piss himself, right?"_

 _Rick step out further and went and sat on a chair, "Good thing I scared him off. If he can't take a man yelling at him, then he's not good enough for my girl."_

 _Daryl laughed, "I swear… I never thought you'd be one of those kinds."_

 _Raising an eyebrow, he turned to his friend, questioning, "Kind of what?"_

 _"An overprotective grump who's a dick."_

 _Now both of Rick's eyebrows raised almost to his hairline, "Wow. Thanks buddy. At least I have an excuse to be a grump. You'd be upset too if some almost grown-ass man wanted to date your fourteen-year-old kid."_

 _Daryl scratched his head, "But she's not your kid."_

 _Rick didn't get angry. His few of his brethren questioned his decision to take on raising a child, let alone a daughter in this mess of a world when he didn't have to. "She's mine in all ways, except biological. You didn't see her when I opened that trap door. How scared she was, how small she was, and how brave she was to walk up out of that hiding spot and face what happened to her family. She was brave and fierce and reminded me so much of… uh…" Rick shook his head, he couldn't quite remember who Cyndie reminded him of, "Uhm… Sasha. She was like that."_

 _Chewing his bottom lip, Daryl snickered, "Well, I feel sorry for any future dudes that try and talk to your kid."_

* * *

While he stood there watching for enemies, from his peripheral, Tyrese approached. "Hey Rick, what's up? Waitin' for your daughter?"

"Yeah, she should be coming back anytime now." Rick turned toward the former Titan. Their names and titles were all but gone. Once they got here and rendered powerless, most resigned themselves that they were never going back to Olympus and this was their home now and will make the best of it. "How are things holding up for you and Sasha? I mean, living here in this place. Everything okay?"

Tyrese adjusted the hammer that was hooked to his belt. "Sasha's good. She's heading over now to take over your watch." Even in this Virginian heat, Rick was always amazed the old god wore the same wooly hat, like it was a part of him and simply forgot it was on his head.

While watching for the dead or any possible enemies, Tyrese moved on to a different topic that surprised Rick. "You know, I never really had a chance to say this to you before, but I commend you for what you've done for Cyndie. I think every child should have some type of positive, parental figure in their life, whether it be a mother or a father."

Rick, also keeping vigil, squinted his eyes at something in the distance, then he asked, "Sounds like you have some experience with raising children. Do you have any?"

The big man chuckled, "No. Never found the time, but I did mentor a young god for a long time. Almost felt like he was a son to me. Taught him all the skills I knew. I'm afraid he got a few things from me that wasn't so great. But he was a good kid with a good heart and he has the skills of a great warrior. He also loved his sister to pieces."

"What's his group called? Do you know where he's at now?"

"He's the son of one my distance cousins. A Titan. I only started mentoring him because his parents were sort of isolationists. They never interacted with the other pantheons. In fact, they stayed out of the war and lived far away from everyone else. As far as where he's at now… He and his sister lived on the same mountain. I didn't get a chance to see them before I left to come here."

A stray walker came shuffling down the road that led to the gates of Alexandria. Rick didn't worry because as soon as it came close to one of their traps, it became caught on one of the spikes sticking out of an abandoned car. "If he's anything like you say, then maybe he's here somewhere helping others, or they're both here, doing exactly what you're doing."

"Maybe."

Just as they finished their conversation, Sasha came up the ladder. "Okay, I'm here to take over your shift and will keep an eye out for Cyndie. I know she's out there. And, Carol needs to speak with you. Hey Ty." She stood next to her brother and adjusted the rifle strapped to her shoulder, "I didn't know you mentored kids. How come I never met them?"

"It was when I lived down south at the time and if we hadn't come here, I was going to introduce you to them. Y'all would've have gotten along great."

Rick started to take his leave. When he went down the ladder, he stopped, "I better go see what Carol wants. Thanks for the chat, Tyrese."

"No problem. It was cool shootin' the breeze witcha and remembering good times. See ya later."

Rick made his way to the main house, waving at the people who made up his community. It was hard fought, but they were making some strives to bringing back, at least this part of the world, to some semblance of normalcy. He found Carol sitting on the front steps with Daryl, Noah and Tara. They greeted him when he sauntered onto the walkway. "You need me for somethin'?"

Carol pulled out a piece of parchment paper made of Cyprus, and handed it to him, "This is a letter from another community south of here. It would take about a day to reach the meeting point. We never ran into each other because we'd been searching in opposite directions. They want to meet, possibly trade. I don't recognize the name, but it could be some of our people."

He read and noted that whoever wrote it, embellished his words, "Kang Ezekiel? Who names themselves Kang?" He handed it back to her. "If we're going to make it to this meeting on time, we'll have to leave first thing in the morning, preferably at dawn."

Carol stood to take it, "He sounds weird. I gotta say, you're gonna have a problem communicating if he talks like that in person."

Rick laughed, "I guess it sucks to be you, right now. You're a politician and the leader, so it'll be you who has to speak to 'em. As for me, I'm just the captain of the guard. I don't have to talk, I just shoot thangs."

Noah and Tara laughed at the rare humor coming from their captain, Grumpy Rick.

He went on to tell Daryl, "Gather ten for the detail. Have them gear up and the rest will stay here to defend the gate. Noah, tell Spencer to prepare the horses and the carriage for Carol."

Carol protested, "Hey, I don't need to sit in some wagon. I can ride a horse."

Rick places a hand on her shoulder, "You are our leader and must be protected at all times. I want you in the carriage because if something were to go wrong, I need you sitting on something solid and not a horse that could possibly throw you. It will be easier to defend you."

He looked at the rest gathered around him, "Alright, let's move. We have a long day ahead of us."

* * *

Michonne and Shane entered the king's throne room. It never ceased to amaze her what they've been able to accomplish in just a few years. After they left their small camp, they found an abandoned boarding school campus, equipped with a surrounding brick wall. Their group grew from eight to five hundred within that time period, thanks to the recruitment efforts of Paul Rovia.

As they walked down the aisle, Shane asked, "Where's Carl?"

"He's at the oceanside village again. He should be back soon."

Michonne walked into her memories of the day she called Carl, son:

* * *

 _She watched silently as he inched his way down the wall then drop to the ground. When he turned around, he straightened at being caught._

 _"You have a good day?"_

 _From the surprised look on his face, Michonne knew he was expected to get yelled at for sneaking outside the walls._

 _"I guess I did. I just needed to get some air."_

 _She looked all around the open space and understood he wasn't talking about being enclosed inside a room. "I get it." She sat down on the ground and placed her katana on her lap. "I'm here to listen if you wanna talk about it."_

 _He was hesitant, at first, but then he sat down cross-legged in front of her. He took a few seconds to think about how he was going to start, "You remember when I said I had a few friends growing up?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _Carl sighed, "That's not exactly true."_

 _Confused, she asked, "What do you mean, not exactly true?"_

 _He took a deep breath and prepared to tell her his deepest hurt, "I didn't have any friends, Michonne. I lived on a beautiful island. I had food, shelter, a soft bed to lay my head every night. Even had a nice spot where I could take a dump."_

 _Michonne giggled, then quickly wiped the smile off her face and went back to being serious. "Sorry, but there's nothing better than having a nice bathroom._

 _The one thing Carl found that he loved about her, she didn't get offended by things other women or girls living in the Kingdom would get all hysterical about._

 _"My first memories started when I was about a month old. I don't remember who dropped me off on Lykos. I don't know if it was my parents or someone else. All I knew is that the island was my everything. Whoever left me there, provided me with everything I needed at my fingertips. Except, I couldn't leave."_

 _"I'd been alone a couple of hundred years before King Ezekiel found me." Carl lowered his voice in the event someone could overhear their conversation, "He felt sorry for me but there was nothing he could do. He tried to help me leave but there was this spell. He'd bring me books, video games and newspapers that kept me informed of what's going on around the world. For decades I worked on making a crack on the barrier that kept me in. One day when he came back, I was able to break through. He told me about his quest to come here and when I asked if I could go with him, he said that it would be too dangerous and that he didn't know if he would ever make it back to his world, so he dropped me off somewhere else that was safe._

 _"I didn't want to be anywhere near the type of people who abandoned me and wanted to get as far away from Greece as possible."_

 _Michonne moved closer and placed a comforting hand on Carl's', "Then what happened?"_

 _"He took me to another island. One of his nephews or something, and when he changed into a sea serpent to leave on his mission, I just climbed up onto his back and hid under a wing. That's how I ended up here." He turned their hands over so that it was he who covered hers. "Not long after that is when I met you."_

 _He peered shyly down at their intertwined fingers, "I just wanted to thank you."_

 _Michonne leaned down to get his attention, "Thank me for what?"_

 _"You and Shane gave me something I never had before… a sense of family. I didn't think I needed it," he chuckled, "I'm old as hell. What do I need mother for now?"_

 _Michonne gasped._

 _"I know you don't feel that way, but that's how I've been feeling. You've been watching out for me, teaching me and letting me talk to you about stuff I couldn't talk to anyone before. You gave me my first birthday gift. It's okay if you don't feel this way. I'm just happy that you and Shane are a part of my life." He peeked up and looked at her and found her eyes filled with tears._

 _Michonne sniffed, "Carl, I felt you were mine the moment I laid eyes on you. I wanted to ask you about it, but I was afraid It would be embarrassing for you because of your age or put you on the spot. She wiped a tear away and smiled brightly, "Just know this, I'll always be here for you and so will your…Uncle Shane."_

 _Carl's face brightened, "So, it's okay if I can… you know, call you… Mom? And, I can all Shane, Uncle Shane?"_

 _She pulled him into her arms and gave him a big hug, "Of course you can! I will be so proud to call you, son."_

 _He tightened his arms around her middle, "Thanks… mom."_

 _She leaned back out of their hug, "Now, about you sneaking over the wall…"_

* * *

As they moved forward, she kept her eye on the king's new pet tiger, Shiva. "Why does he have to have that thing?" When they finally approached the stage, there was Jerry, serving up wine and fruits. Michonne shook her head, she knew the lord of the ocean was a little eccentric and his theatrical monarchy was a gimmick.

Only thing… the gimmick worked.

It was like a never-ending, Shakespearean cosplay and it lightened the mood of all their people and it was, in a way, a temporary distraction from the horrors that still plagued them outside these walls.

They stopped several feet before reaching the throne and Shiva hissed at the newcomers, "I hate that bitch."

"Come on, Michonne. Maybe calling her a bitch every time you see her is why she hisses at you." Shane laughed.

Michonne frowned, "No, it's because she's an irritating cat that gets spoiled by Ezekiel and I won't treat her like a queen she thinks she is. Old bitch."

The king's loud laughter rang through the haul, "Ah, welcome, my fierce vanguard captain and her first officer. One day, you and my Shiva will be best friends, I assure you."

"No, we won't."

Shane asked, "Why do you have a tiger again?"

Jerry with his jolly self interjected, "I love this story."

The king set down his cane to recant, "As you know, I was unable to bring my beloved familiar, Thalago with me to this world. He was my sounding board, my best friend and companion. My seahorse is a beautiful creature to look upon. His scales of silver and sapphire illuminated my throne room. He didn't need to be in water to remain upright. He would follow me everywhere I went, except he couldn't come to the mortal world. I miss my friend, but I found a similar friendship with Shiva here," He pet the massive black and orange striped, Bengal tiger.

"I have no doubt she will win your affection, Lady Michonne. However, lets us move on from the subject of my familiar. I called for your presence because I have some important news to impart upon you." He stopped talking long enough to take a sip of the wine Jerry handed him. "We have received a communique from another community several days ride from here. They are reaching out to us to see if we could aid one another. Their leader, Carol Peltier would like to meet with us in this designated area." He held his hand out and Jerry placed a sheet of parchment paper in his palm, he then handed it to Michonne.

"Their mission is on par with ours."

Michonne and Shane studied the crudely drawn map, she looked up, "You think we can trust them?

Shane gave his opinion, "Absolutely not. Man is just as bad at our people, but that's not gonna to stop us from finding out."

The king tapped his cane, "We shall go to this meeting place. I want the best of your guard to accompany myself and Shiva. Jerry, I will have you stay to reassure our compatriots that all is well." Paul and Glenn came into the large auditorium, "As you are part of the vanguard, I request you inform everyone outside for any purpose to come back and stay behind the walls, while we make this journey."

Everyone took their leave at the king's final decree. When Michonne entered the hallway, there was Dominic waiting. Shane rolled his eyes and told his sister, "I'm going to the gate and watch for Carl. Your son is starting to give me grey hairs and I'm not supposed to be aging this fast."

She laughed before turning back to her useless acquaintance. She couldn't even call him friend anymore due to his cowardice, and laziness. Getting him to help build and provide for his community was like pulling teeth. Always had an excuse as to why he couldn't. He still acts like he lives in a palace on the mountains with servants to provide his every desire.

She should have cut him loose a long time ago. The only reason he was still around was that he was the only tie to their old homeworld and he's never endangered anyone.

He was just plain annoying.

"What is it, Dominic?"

"I should have more responsibilities around here. Afterall, I am a god. I want to go with you to meet the new people. I think I can speak for all of us and get a good trade deal out of them." Wearing a clean, red suit, his still didn't fit in with the survivors who let go of all pretentiousness and accepted that their world was no longer the way it used to be.

"Dominic, I appreciate you finally wanting to do something, but now is not the time. We have to travel across Georgia and it's going to take about a day. How about this… you say you want more responsibility? Stay here and help Jerry keep an eye on things. If there's any trouble, you can help handle it." She started walking toward her apartment and he followed. "If there are any arguments among the residents, you can use your god powers to find a solution and fix it."

Jogging to keep up with her fast pace, he scowled, "Why do I have the feeling you're mocking me."

"I'm not, I just have a lot of things going through my mind at the moment. I'm anxious for my son to come back home. I need to gather my men and get them ready for this journey and put together a strategy to protect the king." She reached her door, "If you don't mind, I have a lot to do before we leave in the morning. Find Jerry and see what he needs you to do, okay?"

Not happy with her blowing him off, Dominic left to find the king's steward.

Michonne blew a relieved breath, then walked away from her door. She had no intention in going inside, just needed to use it as an excuse to get Dom to go away. She made her way towards the gate. A couple of her guardsman stood nearby. She called one over, "I want ten horses and a carriage for the king. Go to the blacksmith and have him gather all the supplies we'll need and have everything ready at the gate. Have everyone dressed for battle. We leave at dawn."

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Please don't forget to let me know what you think :)**

 **Key:**

 **Michonne-** Nike-Goddess of Victory.

 **Rick-** Ares-God of War.

 **Daryl-** Atlas-Titan god that led the war against the Olympians. God of Endurance.

 **Carol** -Theia-Titanide goddess and Mother of the Sun, Moon and the dawn.

 **Maggie** -Tethys-Titanide goddess of nursing of all life and Oceanus' wife.

 **Glenn** -Oceanus-Titan of the sea.

 **Tyrese-** Helios-Titan god of the sun and light.

 **Sasha-** Selene-Titanide goddess of the moon.

 **Jesus-** Hermes-God of athletes, thieves, and adventures. Messenger and trickster of the gods.

 **Abraham-** Hercules-world's greatest hero

 **Rosita-** Athena-Goddess of War and Wisdom

 **Tara-** Artemis-Goddess of the Moon and the hunt

 **Noah-** Apollo-God of the Music and healing

 **Shane-** Kratos-God of strength and power

 **Eugene-** Hephaestus- God of blacksmiths and metallurgy.

 **Negan-** Zeus-Lord of the Sky.

 **Mary/Terminus-** Hera-Wife of Zeus.

 **Jadis-** Aphrodite-Goddess of Love.

 **Jerry** -Dionysius-God of Wine and Theatre.

 **King Ezekiel** -Poseidon-Olympian God of the Sea.


	8. The Vanguard

**The Vanguard**

On either side of a dilapidated four-lane highway, two groups on horses slowly came towards each other. The meeting between the Alexandrians and the Kingdomers took place in a wide-open space that allowed for someone to see anything coming or going. There were no trees to hide any enemies waiting to set up an ambush.

The two communities came to halt before reaching the crumbling concrete.

Rick leaned forward on his saddle, squinting at the silent group across from his. They were all dressed in black from their heads to their thick-soled boots. He noticed immediately they were very disciplined and sat in a V-lined formation. Even their steeds waited patiently. He didn't recognize anyone because their faces were covered with masks. Only their eyes were visible.

One single rider had firearms and wore sunglasses. While the others were equipped with a variety of assorted blades, he carried two shotguns crisscrossed behind his back. Sitting slightly ahead and next to him, was a woman with long, dark twisted locs. Rick couldn't help focusing on her, as she was located at the tip of the V. There was a sense of familiarity, but he never saw her before. She had one weapon strapped to her back and from the design of its hilt, she wielded a katana.

He was distracted from studying her further when Daryl spoke quietly, "Did I miss the memo? I didn't know we were supposed to dress like the Dark Knights of the ZA. And, is that a fuckin' tiger?"

Rick chuckled, "This'll be interesting," and waited for the other side to make the first move.

* * *

Michonne settled her horse, Flame, with a gentle murmur as she studied the other group across the road. They had the same amount of people as hers and they were very well armed.

She shook her head slightly, her voice muffled by the mask she wore, "Guns… so primitive. Shane, you better not dump me for them."

Shane laughed, "Your blade elitism is showing. Come on, sis. I wouldn't do that right now. I'd have to meet 'em first." He spit on the ground before cracking, "They're a raggedy lookin' bunch, aren't they?"

She agreed, "They do look a little rough. They must be having a tough time… probably why they want to trade with us." Her eyes narrowed at what she assumed was the leader of their small army. He looked very at home on his horse, leaning on the saddle horn. Even from this distance, she could tell his jeans were well-worn with a hole in the thigh and they were comfortably snug. His strong, muscular forearms were tanned a tawny brown under the rolled-up sleeves of his light, khaki button down.

"Nice."

Shane turned his head to his sister. Did she say what he thought she said? "Uh, what'd you say?"

She cleared her throat and sat up straighter, "Nothin', just uhm… it's hot, I need some ice."

"Yeah, whateva. You better not dump me for some _ice_."

"Shut up, Shane."

He laughed as she ducked her head in embarrassment.

Glenn and Paul eased up to either side of them, "Maybe we should move closer. So, we can at least see each other's faces."

Glenn added, "I mean, we'll be able to see theirs. With these masks, they can't see ours." Glenn's head slightly turned toward the low growl coming from behind them. He reached out and pet his horse's mane, "We need to hurry up and get off these beasts and move them away from Shiva. She's getting restless from being around all this tasty meat."

They all dismounted and handed the reins to Spencer to move the mounts further away from the predator in the wagon. Then, without prompting, Michonne's vanguard lined up on foot and waited for word to advance.

The king in his carriage behind them announced in a loud voice, "Let us move thus forward, so that we may meet our allies after this arduous journey."

Shane just rolled his eyes and Michonne could tell he was grinning by the crinkles in the corners. She gave a short, sharp whistle that signaled her men to walk. The other side moved, as well. When they shortened the distance and got a clear view of the other's faces, Glenn snatched off his mask and gave out a cry when he broke rank. One of the female Alexandrians followed suit and they ran into each other's arms and embraced.

Paul also left the line and King Ezekiel hopped off the wagon. After pulling down their masks, the three from Michonne's group and the rest of the Alexandrians all came forward to exchange hugs. It didn't take her and Shane long to figure out this was the king's kinsman and fellow former deities. As she looked up, a great bear of a man came toward them with his arms open wide.

Her brother greeted him, "Uncle Helios?" Shane rushed to give the man who had a great influence on their lives, a big hug.

Happy to have found the young god he mentored for centuries, the man wearing a winter hat grinned widely, "It's Tyrese now. Boy, it's so good to see you."

"And, we're glad to see you." Shane put a hand on his own chest, "I'm Shane. This is Michonne." He grabbed his sister by the arm and pulled her close.

Tyrese wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her gently, "Nice names. You guys are a sight for sore eyes. I worried about where you were." He let her go to turn around and gestured for someone to come over. "This is Sasha, my sister. You guys never met because I was living away from Europe at the time."

Wearing a green army shirt, dark pants and carrying a sniper rifle, Sasha smiled, "So you're the kids my brother had been talking about. It's nice to meet you."

Shane interjected, "I ain't no kid."

Sasha stopped and took a good look, "No, you're not."

While the others were greeting each other, Rick went straight to King Ezekiel hugging Carol. "So, did all of you make it here safely?" He looked over Ezekiel's men.

The king let go of Carol to face his nephew. "We did."

Rick asked impatiently, "What about the boy, Karlakos? Where is he?"

Ezekiel gave a puzzled look toward Carol, wondering how they knew about the young man. "He's back at the Kingdom. How do you know about him and why are you asking?"

Rick leaned in close, as did Ezekiel, "Cause, he's my son." He went on to explain Karlakos' history.

Ezekiel called Michonne over to discuss what they'll do next. "I would like to introduce you to Michonne, leader of my Vanguard. Michonne, this is Rick, he is the protector of the Alexandrians."

Up close, Rick found the woman dressed in black to be more beautiful than he'd ever expected. Her doe-like brown eyes with gold reflecting in the irises complimented the burnished dark chocolate color of her skin. The width of her nose and fullness of her lips combined to form a graceful yet sexy woman that seemed familiar yet unknown to him. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Rick Grimes."

Michonne cocked her head slightly as she studied him. The color of his eyes stood out from the slightly graying full beard, the wrinkles around his eyes and broad nose. Sprinkles of gray dotted the edges of his short, military cut that had been let go. She immediately thought longer hair would look better on him.

She took the hand he offered. As soon as they touched, Michonne felt a jolt and quickly let him go. "I'm glad that Ezekiel found his people." Pretending she wasn't affected by a handshake from a stranger, she waved for Shane to come over, but he was too busy talking to Tyrese and Sasha. She had to call out his name to get his attention. When he finally walked over, "This is my brother, Shane. Shane, this is Rick."

Each of the men narrowed their eyes at each other. Rick took in the dark curls, the sunglasses. They were about the same height and for some reason, he wanted to punch the guy. He went back to staring at Michonne.

Shane, on the other hand, felt the need to tackle the man he just met. "So, you're the _one_ Ezekiel talked about. Finally, nice to meet you." Rick didn't seem to hear him; his focus was intent on his sister. Without thinking about his actions, he reached out and was about to tap the man on his head.

Likewise, Rick on instinct blocked the potential pop on the back of his dome. Daryl and the rest of his crew stared in shock that this stranger was about to hit their captain.

Michonne reacted quickly, "Shane! What the hell do you think you're doing? She pushed him back and turned to Rick, "I'm so sorry. My brother can be an ass sometimes and does things without thinking. He can be a little overbearing and protective."

Rick stood there with an amused look on his face.

She whirled around to her brother and stomped over to where he stood. She smacked him in the shoulder growling, "You don't even know the man. You're gonna go back over there and apologize."

Shane put up his hands, "I don't know why I had this feeling to just do it." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Why do I feel like I know the guy?"

"I don't know but whatever it is, you owe him an apology. Get to it." She snapped her fingers.

Looking contrite, Shane eased forward, "Look, I'm sorry. It's weird, I felt like I did it before. I didn't mean nothin' by it. If you want… hit me back. Your people ain't looking so happy and what I did was disrespectful. I truly am sorry."

Rick rested his hands on his hips and shifted to lean on one leg, "You know, for some reason I knew you were gonna try it. If I believed you were actually trying to hurt me, I would've killed ya. No harm, no foul. Just don't do it again."

To get everyone's attention off the odd exchange between Rick and Shane, Ezekiel spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "Now that we've found our kinsman, we need to take this to a safer location. Carol and her choice of escort have agreed to come with us back to the Kingdom. The rest of the Alexandrians shall make haste back to their community."

Glenn went to Michonne and introduced his wife, "Michonne, this is my wife, Maggie. Seems she couldn't stay put at home and all this time she's been here. I'm going to go back with her since someone from her group is going with you."

She gave him a hug and shook hands with Maggie who pushed her hand out of the way and hugged her, "No need to be formal. You helped keep my husband safe, thank you."

Michonne smiled, "We all kept each other safe. Yes, go back and be with your wife, Glenn." She waved them off.

Rick gathered his group, "Daryl, you're coming with me. Tyrese, Sasha, Abe and the rest of you… I want you to go back and protect Alexandria." He stopped Tyrese with a hand on his shoulder, "Can you keep an eye on Cyndie for me? Tell her I'll be back in a few days."

Michonne standing within earshot, felt a little deflated hearing Rick ask about someone named Cyndie. She asked herself, _'Why does that bother me?'_

While the Alexandrians mounted their horses to head back, Ezekiel and Rick made their way over to where Michonne stood with Shane, "My dear Lady Michonne, Rick has something he must speak with you about before we take our leave."

She gave a brief look at her brother, "Okay, what's up?"

The king continued, "As you are the closest to our dear Carl. In fact, you are his matriarch, you need to hear this first."

Rick was looking down on the ground while Michonne folded her hands in front of her, "Okay…"

Shane, impatient as ever, "Spill it, Zeke."

Rick spoke up then, "Carl is my son."

Before anything else could be said, anger took over Michonne when she pulled a fist back and punched Rick in the jaw, yelling at him, "How could you abandon your son!"

Shane grabbed her before she could hit him again, "Whoa! Didn't you just get on my ass for putting my hands on a stranger?"

Daryl came running over to find out what was going on, "What the hell?" He made sure he stepped in front of Rick to let him know he would put his hands on him to stop him from going after the woman who hit him.

Rick rubbed his jaw, "I didn't see that one coming. I'm alright, D. Just a little misunderstanding." Daryl didn't move, "Look, I'm not going to hit her back. She'd probably slice me up anyway. Move, so I can straighten this out." He pushed Daryl out the way and went over to where Shane dragged his sister, still struggling to get out of his arms. The king stood by with a helpless look on his face. He didn't know what to do.

The captain of Alexandria stood in front of them, "Michonne, I understand your anger, I really do. But, give me a chance to explain my side. I didn't even know I had a son until before I came to this place." He went on to explain what his mother did and how he found out.

Thinking about the night he found out about his son made him upset all over again. "My son came up in this world alone and I wasn't there for him." Not wanting Michonne to see the hurt he was going through, he turned and took a few steps away from her, putting his hands on his hips and took several deep breaths to calm himself.

Ezekiel followed, "Please don't be upset with Michonne. She reacted hastily, I know. Understand, all she knows is what Carl went through on the island and she's vowed to hurt anyone that had anything to do with his abandonment."

"That's why I need her to understand finding Carl is why I came here in the first place. I'm not upset with her, I'm pissed at myself. I should have been there for him."

Ezekiel sounded a bit miffed, "I thought you came here for us."

"I did, but finding Carl was the main reason."

"Well, damn. That kinda hurts my feelings, Rick." Ezekiel hurt expression eased Rick's tension. Shane let go of Michonne who looked embarrassed.

Without a thought and without asking, she walked over to Rick and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have acted so irrationally. I'm usually not like that. All that went through my mind was what my son went through all those years." Rick turned around slowly and Michonne reached up and smoothed her fingers along his jaw. "What your mother did to you… being told you have a child out there somewhere… oh, the pain you must be going through."

Rick just stared down into her eyes as she looked up into his. His hand came up and placed it against hers and held it there. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, then lowered his head onto her shoulders as her arms wrapped around him in solid comfort.

"Thank you," he whispered softly in her ear.

Everyone around them stood with their mouths wide open. Shane asked Daryl in a low voice, "What the fuck is happening?"

Daryl was in shock. This woman, a stranger just walked up on his cousin and put her hands on him and Rick didn't jerk, didn't snatch himself away or haul off and punch her. He replied back, "Is your sister a witch?"

"I don't think so." Shane turned to Daryl, "Talk about witches, his momma made a kid from Rick's blood, right? What did he do when he found out?"

Daryl snickered, "He hit his parents with a lightning bolt."

Shane's eyebrows rose up in surprise, "Yo, Zeus knew about this too?"

Before Daryl could answer, Ezekiel walked over and spoke quietly, "Gentlemen, let us keep words describing our past out of the public and from prying ears, shall we?"

Rick came out of his fog, "It's fine, Michonne." He loved saying that name, "Michonne, from what my uncle told me, you've done a fine job taking care of him. I'm grateful, thank you. I don't want to change any of that and as far as I'm concerned you are his mother and always will be. I just want a chance to get to know him and for him to know me. I just hope it's not too late." He wasn't aware that he slipped his arms around Michonne's waist.

"Uhm… hello? What's going on here?" Shane pointed his finger at the both of them.

Like a record scratch, they pulled apart. Michonne once again embarrassed by her reaction to this stranger. Rick stepped back and cleared his throat.

Ezekiel spoke up, "Okay, this is awkward. Come, it's getting dark, let us make camp and we shall travel in the morn."

* * *

Later after everyone set up, Michonne told her men to get in place.

Rick asked the king, "What are they doing?" He watched as the Kingdomers placed their pallets in a protective circle around the two leaders of Alexandria and the Kingdom.

"When we first came to this place, Michonne and her brother made sure we all stayed safe. If it wasn't for them and their knowledge, we probably wouldn't have made it this far. She does what she needs to do to protect us." He waved his hand around at several of the vanguard laying on their sides with their backs facing inward and their weapons placed beside them. "This is one of her ideas. Said she got it from visiting this country centuries ago." He patted Rick on the shoulder and went over to where Carol sat with Shiva.

Rick set his pallet down close but far enough away from Michonne and Shane, so they wouldn't feel like he was stalking. He wasn't tired, so he planned to keep watch with the Vanguard. He started imagining what Carl would look like when Daryl came and sat down next to him, "So they have your boy. That's good news."

"It is."

"What about Cyndie?"

Michonne wasn't trying to be nosey, it's just that she was, and her ears perked up when the name of Cyndie came up again.

Rick scratched the side of his eyebrow and squinted up into the night, "Nothing's changed. I'll just tell her about my son when we get back home."

Michonne strained to hear what else was being said when the sound of twigs and leaves crackled in the surrounding darkness. She gave a sharp whistle and she and her men stood in their circle facing outward. The king grabbed Shiva's chain and went to stand behind Michonne. "Give word Lady Michonne, and I shall release Shiva if needed."

"That probably won't be necessary, your majesty. Thank you."

Rick and Daryl pulled out their weapons and went to cover Carol, who still sat in the middle of their encampment. Rick instructed, "If I have to move out the circle, you stay by Carol, got it?"

"Yeah," he grumbled as he made sure he had enough arrows for his crossbow and that his bowie knife was still in its sheath.

Carol pulled out her Warrior Tanto with four-finger knuckle guards, "Rick, make sure you protect Ezekiel."

His attention was drawn to where Michonne and Shane stood to look out into the darkness. Soon moans and low growls could be heard heading toward them. Shane spoke in a low voice, "Looks like a small horde. Shouldn't take long to get rid of them."

He strode over to stand next to Michonne. "Ain't too bad." He turned around and the guard on the other side stayed planted. He asked, "Aren't you gonna have your men come over to this side to help?"

Without taking her gaze off the dead, one side of her lips lifted as she smiled, "No, I need them to keep an eye on our backs. Like you said, it's not too bad. We can handle this small group." She stepped ahead and unsheathed her katana. The moon had made an appearance overhead and its rays reflected off the sharp edge of the blade as it was pulled out into the open. "Shane, Paul… let's take 'em down."

Michonne and the members of her group moved forward and spread out and waited for the slow-moving bodies to reach them. Rick put away his colt and took his red machete off his belt. He kept to the left of Michonne and cut down a few walkers, but his attention kept getting distracted by the moonlight bouncing off her blade and the shiny glint of her leather clothing. Twirling her sword, she pivoted left, cut off a head then swiveled to the right and impaled the tip inside the skull of another. She continued her dance as he was mesmerized by her locs floating and swinging with her every moment.

Shane didn't bother using his shotguns due to the noise attracting more of the undead, so he used his own knife to keep any walkers from coming from the sides. Paul and the rest cleaned up the stragglers. Rick was so focused on Michonne's technique, he didn't notice one about to jump on his side. The zing of an arrow brought him out of his stupor. Daryl had shot one in the head before it could get a tasty Rick snack.

Chagrined for being caught acting stupid, Rick went and got to work. He moved into the fray and killed over twenty walkers that found their way into the open field, causing Michonne to stop swinging and only pushing the bodies away so she could watch and appreciate Rick and his abilities.

When he brought down the blade of his machete and it got caught in the walker's clavicle, he just lifted his foot, braced it on its chest and kicked it off. She couldn't help but notice his thigh muscles bunching up against the tight fabric of his jeans and how much power he used to break his blade free from rotting bone. Rick then grabbed one by the neck and rammed the tip up into its skull.

She nearly fanned herself before she remembered where she was and who she was fighting next to. Her brother will never let her live it down if he saw her lusting after a stranger who may or may not have a wife or girlfriend.

After stopping the last of the horde, Rick looked back and asked, "Enjoy the show?"

 **Key:**

 **Michonne-** Nike-Goddess of Victory.

 **Rick-** Ares-God of War.

 **Daryl-** Atlas-Titan god that led the war against the Olympians. God of Endurance.

 **Carol** -Theia-Titanide goddess and Mother of the Sun, Moon and the dawn.

 **Maggie** -Tethys-Titanide goddess of nursing of all life and Oceanus' wife.

 **Glenn** -Oceanus-Titan of the sea.

 **Tyrese-** Helios-Titan god of the sun and light.

 **Sasha-** Selene-Titanide goddess of the moon.

 **Jesus-** Hermes-God of athletes, thieves, and adventures. Messenger and trickster of the gods.

 **Abraham-** Hercules-world's greatest hero

 **Rosita-** Athena-Goddess of War and Wisdom

 **Tara-** Artemis-Goddess of the Moon and the hunt

 **Noah-** Apollo-God of the Music and healing

 **Shane-** Kratos-God of strength and power

 **Eugene-** Hephaestus- God of blacksmiths and metallurgy.

 **Negan-** Zeus-Lord of the Sky.

 **Mary/Terminus-** Hera-Wife of Zeus.

 **Jadis-** Aphrodite-Goddess of Love.

 **Jerry** -Dionysius-God of Wine and Theatre.

 **King Ezekiel** -Poseidon-Olympian God of the Sea.


	9. The Kingdom

**The Kingdom**

The gates creaked as they opened when the King with Shiva at his side, and Carol, the leader of Alexandria on the other, walked in first. Then Rick, Daryl, followed up with Michonne and her Vanguard covering the rear. After the battle the previous night, they were all able to get some rest before traveling the rest of the way to the Kingdom.

When the wall guard saw that the king returned safely, he informed the gatekeeper to prepare to open the gates and the welcome committee to be ready to greet them.

Nabila, Dominic, and several other Kingdomers came quickly to stand in line in front of 12ft doors that welcomed home friends and family, yet also, kept the enemy at bay.

 _"So, they found him. Doesn't matter. He's not here to make me complete the mission."_

As Rick and Daryl came through, they were halted in their tracks by a surprised call from one of the greeters, "You!" He was staring directly at Rick, who turned around to make sure the dark-haired male with the tight ponytail wasn't talking about someone else.

"You know me?" He asked as Michonne and Shane walked up to his side.

"Yeah, I do… god of war." Dominic's normally arrogant face took on a hostile smirk.

Michonne gave the man a puzzled look. She didn't understand why the man she'd known for centuries would be so hostile. "Dominic, how? You've never talked about knowing the Olympians."

In a not so pleasant voice, the man snarled, "You don't know everything about me, Michonne."

Rick stepped in front of Michonne, while Shane walked up and got in Dominic's face, "You better watch how you talk to my sister."

That's when Daryl leaned over and whispered, "You sure do have an effect on these Kingdomers. Hope he doesn't end up hitting you too."

Rick spoke loudly so that Dominic could hear, "I'd like to see him try."

While those two held a staring contest, King Ezekiel did what he did best to ease the tension. He raised his hands and waved them about to get everyone's attention. He held his arms open wide, "Welcome to the Kingdom. We shall have rooms made ready for you and then we will present you with a tour of our community."

Rick held up a hand, "Thank you, Kang. If you don't mind, I'd like to finally meet my son." He looked to Michonne, "If that's alright with you?"

Michonne walked around Rick to face Dominic herself. She answered Rick while keeping her eyes on her old friend, "That's fine, Rick. We can go in just a sec." She stared at Dominic calmly with an air of menace that everyone felt, "What I said still stands. If you endanger anyone here and that includes the people from Alexandria, you will answer to me. Whatever beef you have with Rick, drop it. We are here on this plain now and it's _us_ against _them_. Your _reunion_ , or whatever you call it, can wait. Rick belongs to me, right now."

She walked past him with her head held high, she stopped, turned back with a tilt of her head to Rick, "Coming?"

Rick was busy staring at her ass when she sashayed away and took a second to realize she was talking to him, "Uh, yeah." He hurried and went to stand by her side.

Feeling almost giddy that Michonne basically claimed him, Rick had a small smile on his face as he observed why the Kingdom seemed so prosperous. Three and four-story buildings were located in different areas within the protective, brick walls. Over to the left was a large farmer's market with fresh fruits and vegetables, grains and other goods.

Beyond the farmer's market was the animal pens with cows, chickens, and pigs. Next to those were the horse's stables.

The Kingdom was a small city within these walls and it was flourishing.

Back with the group, Ezekiel nodded and waved a finger to a young woman, her head covered with a hijab. "Nabila, could you please set up three rooms for our guests in the administration building?"

A smile brightened the woman's already cheery face, "Sure thing, your majesty. I'll also let Jerry know you're here on my way over. Is there anything special you'd like for me to do for our new visitors?"

"They're not just visitors, Nabila. They are family." He introduced Nabila as Jerry's mortal, significant other.

Now that their sleeping arrangements were taken care of, Michonne licked her lips nervously, then bit the bottom before telling Rick, "This news is gonna hit him hard. If everything goes well, you're more than welcome to stay with us in our quarters. I have a spare bedroom you can stay in and that way you can spend as much time with him without you having to leave to sleep somewhere else."

Rick eyed Dominic once again who still stood there scowling at him, "As much as I'd like to know more of how you know me like she said, I belong to her now. Don't cause me any problems and I'll do the same," to Michonne, "Michonne, thank you. I appreciate that. I'm ready whenever you are."

They took their leave of the king, Shane stopped them before they could go, "You guys gonna be okay? I could come with you if you want."

Michonne reassured her brother with a light squeeze on his arm, "It's okay. I trust Rick not to do anything crazy." Her words again made Rick's heart do a happy dance. She trusted him.

While the Carol and Daryl followed Nabilla and the king, the vanguard went about their business. Rick followed Michonne to a two-story brick building located further back. As they stood outside the front door, Michonne gave some more information on Carl, "Because he'd been alone for so long, he needs to get outside the walls every now and then. Hopefully, he's home now." She touched his arm and nodded, "Let's go meet your son."

When Rick walked inside, he saw to his right, steps leading upstairs. In front of him was a long hallway filled with doors. "This used to be a dorm. Shane has the upper floor and Carl and I, took over the bottom."

He continued to follow her into what looked like a living room. They renovated it so that all the rooms were connected by crude looking doors to cover the holes in the walls. "Have a seat. Let me find him. I'll be right back."

To Rick, the whole setup looked like a maze. He sat on the comfy couch but could only sit a few minutes before his patience ran out. "I can't just sit here." He got up and went in the direction she left, calling out her name, "Michonne." He went to the first door, opened it, "Michonne, where are y- "

There she was, sitting down handling her business. She wasn't startled, and she didn't scream. Her eyes only widened in surprise.

"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry. I was just trying to find you so that I could meet him with you." His hands were still on the doorknob when he saw her sword leaning against the sink, "Do you take that thing everywhere with you?"

Michonne was about to open her mouth and automatically answer his question when she realized… "Uhm, Rick. Do you mind?"

It finally dawned on him that he was trying to have a conversation with a woman sitting on the toilet. Flushing bright red with embarrassment, Rick quickly backed up and slammed the door shut. He leaned his head forward and was about to start smacking his forehead against it, "What is wrong with me?"

He was interrupted from beating himself up when an amused Shane broke in, "I'd say standing in front of a closed door talking to yourself looks plenty wrong to me."

Rick looked up to see Shane standing there with a crooked grin on his face. He sighed and turned away from the bathroom door. "I accidentally walked in on your sister. I'm embarrassed as shit." Though, he in no way was going to apologize to her brother.

"Why? It's a natural thang to take a piss. Ain't nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Yeah, it is when you try to hold a conversation with that person."

Instead of looking at Rick sideways, Shane began banging on the door and yelled, "Open up Michonne and hurry the fuck up. People need to use the bathroom today!"

Michonne just yelled back, "Go use your own, asshole!"

Rick just shook his head at the siblings yelling at each other through the door.

Shane followed him back into the living room, Rick asked, "You guys always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Prank each other?"

"Oh, yea. Always. I'm usually the one that has to retaliate cause she the one who usually starts it."

After he sat back down on the couch, Rick turned to him, curious, "Really? Like, what does she do?"

Shane leaned against the island counter that separated the kitchen from the living room, "Hmm… last time, she snuck up to my place and turned off all the lights when I was taking my midnight dump."

"Wait… midnight dump?"

"Yeah, it's my routine. It's the only time I can just totally sit and relax without having to worry about whisperers or walkers trying to eat my face off. Anyway, the light switch was too far for me to reach. The dark don't scare me, so I just kept on taking my shit, except crazy ass decided to make moaning and growling noises… bangin' an shit. Carl's ass was right there helpin' her, too. I ended up havin' to rush off the john, barely wiped my ass to come running out the bathroom, to find them two yahoos up in my living room laughing it up. She lucky I just banged on the door. I was plannin' to throw water on her, but you were standin' there, so I held back."

Rick couldn't help but laugh as Shane moved around the island to go into the kitchen. "Well, sis is gonna be in there awhile washing her hands and brushing her teeth. I found out Carl's not here, so you'll have to go to his hiding spot. Might as well chill while we wait for Michonne. You hungry?" He started puttering around in the kitchen.

"Sure. How do you know she'll be in there a while?"

Shane put something in the toaster oven then turned back to Rick, "Well, after being around her for centuries, you tend to know these things."

Feeling disappointed without knowing why, Rick changed the subject, "Where do you get your power from? In Alexandria, we use solar panels. I see you're using a toaster oven and you have quite a few items that use electricity, that tells me you guys got a lot of power."

"When you have the lord of the sea as king, you strive for the best. We use wind power. At the very back of the compound, we have three windmills and we're making a fourth because we're gonna to make the place bigger.

"That is a good idea. I can see the benefits of trading between our communities already."

Shane scratched the back of his head, "Well, that ain't my forte. I'll let the kang and your Carol handle that stuff."

"Fair enough."

Shane came and sat next to Rick and plopped a plate of fries on the coffee table in front of him.

Surprised, Rick asked, "You guys have potatoes?"

"Yup got a big plot out there." He pointed with his thumb in the direction behind him, then grabbed one from his own plate and dunked it in some red paste Rick assumed was ketchup of some sort. It didn't look as smooth as what he was used to eating. "Here, try some. Michonne's good at cooking. Even adds spices to make it taste better." He pushed the plate closer to Rick.

Rick picked up one of the thick fries and bit into it without trying the condiment. The potato was flavorful without the added taste of the ketchup. "This is good," he said between chews.

Shane picked up several more and stuffed them in his mouth, "When we were home in Africa, she used to travel all over the place and picked up all kinds of skills and whatnot."

Michonne came in rubbing cream into her hands. She then wiped the excess off on a kitchen towel, "Thanks for the compliment, bro." She reached and grabbed a fry off his plate, "I heard say Carl's not here." She pulled the strap of her katana around her shoulders and adjusted it comfortably, moving her head to get her hair out of the way, "Rick, we'll have to go to him. It's only a couple of miles from here if you don't mind?"

While Shane was finishing his food, he said with a mouth full, "Dude, I'd hit the toilet before you leave if I were you."

"Yeah, that's a good idea,' to Michonne, "Mind if I clean up a little while I'm in there?"

"Go ahead. There's liquid soap in the blue bottle…"

"I saw that, and the washcloths and towels are on the side of the bathtub. Do you have an extra toothbrush?"

"In the medicine cabinet. I'll put some food together to take with us. We might be out there for a while."

"Meet you back out here in ten?"

"Gotcha." She set about gathering a few things while Rick went to the bathroom.

Shane stood in the middle of the room, his head turning back and forth between the two. He stared at his sister for a few seconds, "Why do I get the feeling I just witnessed an old married couple getting ready to go out on a picnic? Hell, you even claimed the man."

She laughed and smacked his arm as she went past him, "Hardly Shane, we just met. And, I didn't claim him. It's just he had more important things to deal with other than whatever bullshit Dominic was giving out."

Shane shook his head, " _You_ claimed that man as your own, stop lying. Anyway, it's 10 a.m. I'm giving you 'til four to come back with Carl. If you don't show, I'm coming after you."

"I would expect nothing less, dear brother." She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek then pinched his arm.

"Ow! What's that for?"

"Banging on my door like you were the police." She laughed again and picked up her bag of provisions, adjusting her sword again. "Alright, wish me luck this goes well." Her smile went to a frown, "I really don't know how Carl's gonna take this."

"Just explain it like it was explained to you, then step back and let them handle it." He spoke to both of them as Rick came back into the room. "Y'all be fine." Be careful out there. You always gotta be prepared for any surprises."

Michonne turned to Rick, "You ready to go? Shane, we'll be careful. Go visit the new people and make sure Dominic doesn't say anything stupid or embarrassing and keep him away from Daryl. I'm sure he would appreciate it."

Rick agreed, "He would."

Shane walked out the door and grumbled in a low voice, "Rather talk to Sasha and Tyrese than them folks."

* * *

As they started off on their journey to find Carl, Rick grabbed the bag from her.

Michonne easily handed it to him, "Thanks, I could have carried it."

"It's no problem," he smiled down at her, not paying attention to where he was stepping.

Michonne smiled back and it lasted longer than it should, she caught herself and cleared her throat, "We don't usually have to worry about the dead near here. We have traps set around the parameter that keeps them back."

"Good to know. Do you ever worry about Carl being out here by himself?"

"He's a very capable fighter. Even though I do worry, he needs this time to be alone. We give him his space. That's something you'll need to learn when it comes to him. Carl is over a hundred year's old, yet, in some ways, he's still a child and because of his upbringing and the way our maturity rate works, he pretty much looks, sounds and sometimes acts like your typical teenager."

Shuffling slowly, he put his hands in his front pockets, "Got it. Don't treat him like a kid. You think he'll accept me? After all this time?"

The sun was shining brightly through the forest leaves and only the sound of birds singing and their quiet steps on the dirt path could be heard. Resting her hands on the straps of her katana's sheath, Michonne took some time to think about it, "It'll take some adjusting, but I think we can work through it."

Neither of them felt the need to speak as they walked in companionable silence. Michonne's thoughts were on her brother's words. She was lying to herself. She did claim that man, only she didn't realize she did it until Shane said it out loud. What was it about Rick that makes her want to be near him all the time? Is it because he's Carl's biological father?

Confused, she decided to shut down her brain and just bask in the moment of walking next to him. She could hear every breath he took. Every movement of his arms swinging in sync with his bowlegged gait. Speaking of which, with her eyes concentrated on the ground, she used her hair to hide sneaking a peek at his moving thighs. They roamed from his hips down to his worn and dusty boots.

Rick being taller than her, clearly saw Michonne checking him out. Her hair hid nothing and a slight blush formed on his cheeks from her scrutiny. He'd had plenty of women looking at his body before and they never made him blush.

Michonne made the mistake of looking up and saw that she was busted ogling practically a stranger. Staring into his eyes, she misstepped and tripped over a giant stick that was in her path.

She tripped.

With a startled cry, she almost fell to the ground if Rick hadn't caught her. Instead of setting her upright on her feet, he swung her up into her arms and carried her.

"Thanks for saving me from busting my knees. I'm okay to walk, you know."

Rick didn't budge or even show a hint of putting her down. "I know, but I like this. It feels nice." He continued walking.

Michonne wrapped her arm around his shoulders to settle more comfortably in his arms. "Do you even know which way we're going?"

He lifted her a little and with the hand that was under her thigh, he pointed directly in front of him, "I figured we're going this way."

She threw her head back and laughed, giving Rick access to watch the lining of her throat on down to the deep V of her top emphasized by the creamy globes of her small, yet full breasts.

He shuddered as he took in a deep breath, _"Oh, boy."_

He couldn't understand why they hadn't met until now. The Alkebulan mountains were not that far away from Olympus. He'd traveled all over this planet. How could he have missed this Titan family? He knew that if they'd met before, he would have never left her side. That is for sure. Once he meets his son and starts a relationship with him, Michonne will be next. He just had a gut feeling, they were meant to be.

Even if they only met yesterday.

 **Thanks for reading! :)**

 **Key:**

 **Michonne-** Nike-Goddess of Victory.

 **Rick-** Ares-God of War.

 **Daryl-** Atlas-Titan god that led the war against the Olympians. God of Endurance.

 **Carol** -Theia-Titanide goddess and Mother of the Sun, Moon and the dawn.

 **Maggie** -Tethys-Titanide goddess of nursing of all life and Oceanus' wife.

 **Glenn** -Oceanus-Titan of the sea.

 **Tyrese-** Helios-Titan god of the sun and light.

 **Sasha-** Selene-Titanide goddess of the moon.

 **Jesus-** Hermes-God of athletes, thieves, and adventures. Messenger and trickster of the gods.

 **Abraham-** Hercules-world's greatest hero

 **Rosita-** Athena-Goddess of War and Wisdom

 **Tara-** Artemis-Goddess of the Moon and the hunt

 **Noah-** Apollo-God of the Music and healing

 **Shane-** Kratos-God of strength and power

 **Eugene-** Hephaestus- God of blacksmiths and metallurgy.

 **Negan-** Zeus-Lord of the Sky.

 **Mary/Terminus-** Hera-Wife of Zeus.

 **Jadis-** Aphrodite-Goddess of Love.

 **Jerry** -Dionysius-God of Wine and Theatre.

 **King Ezekiel** -Poseidon-Olympian God of the Sea.


	10. Oceanside

**A/N: Only one or two chapters to go! I want to thank all of you for the views/comments on my rehashing of my TWD Olympians. I really do appreciate it.**

 **Have a wonderful weekend!**

 **Yelle**

 **Oceanside**

Shane pounded on the door waiting impatiently for it to open. When it did, he grabbed Dominic by the collar and slammed him on the couch.

Dominic tried to pry Shane's hands off him, but he was too strong. "I don't know what you're talking about, Shane. Get off me."

Shane didn't loosen his grip. He only tightened his fists and leaned in closer, pressing Dominic deeper into the cushions, "I'm talking about that hostility against Rick Grimes and your bitch ass attitude towards my sister." He shoved him once more before straightening. He rubbed the back of his head, "I've known you a long time Lexos and you've never once mentioned you knew any of the Olympians. Why is that?"

Dominic sat up and straightened his Kravet on his alabaster suit, "I didn't think it was important. Your family kept away from them, remember?"

"Answer my question. Rick doesn't remember you, so what's with the fucked-up attitude at both of 'em?"

"Uhm, I…uh…I can't answer why he doesn't remember. Maybe it's because I didn't see him all that much. I usually passed through Olympus and never stayed that long."

"Okay, so why were you pissed at him?"

"He's the god of war and he's a bully. I never did anything to him, but he felt the need to punch me in the face. There, I said it. Now you know. You happy!" He yelled.

Shand pinched the bridge of his nose and began to pace as he thought through Dominic's words. "You just said you were hardly ever there, yet Rick took the time to bully you by punching you in the face. And, now he doesn't remember you? You being pissed at him is one thing, but being mad at Michonne is something else."

He ran a hand over his face as he paced more, "I may have lost my powers but that's the only thing. I didn't lose my bullshit detector and what you're giving me is major bullshit. We are from immortal stock and we don't forget anything or anyone unless it was taken from us."

Shane grabbed him by the throat this time, tilted his head and through gritted teeth, he spoke low and deep, "You wanna try again?"

Dominic tried his best to hide his mask of fear, "I swear, I don't know why he doesn't remember me. I've known you and your sister a long time and I would never withhold information that would cause either of you harm." He pleaded, "I love you like a brother and I love Michonne. I just wanted to protect her."

"Whoa. Protect her from what?" Shane pulled him up from the couch, growling loudly in his face, "Protect her from what?"

Dominic closed his eyes and swallowed hard, and whimpered, "From… from him." He licked his dry lips, "From Rick."

The hands around Dominic's throat tightened, "Talk."

* * *

"I told you, you should have put me down." Michonne snickered as she looked down at Rick where he fell on his ass after stepping into a hole in the ground. He was quick enough to set Michonne on her feet before tumbling into a heap himself.

"Ha-ha, you're funny. I would've stepped in that hole even if I wasn't carrying you." He rotated his ankle to make sure he didn't sprain it. "Now, are you gonna help me up or are you gonna keep standing there laughing at me?"

She chuckled again before leaning down, holding her hand out, "Come on, ya big baby."

The flash of her bright smile and the loose swinging of her locs as she bent down, took Rick back to a lost time where a different… a younger Michonne bent over him to help him off the ground. Lost in that vision, he grabbed her hand and then pulled her down on top of him. His lips automatically locking onto hers as if it was the most natural thing for him to do.

His tongue explored, traveling around the outline of her mouth before slipping in between.

Michonne stiffened in surprise at first, then let herself go to enjoy this new, yet familiar firmness of Rick's kiss. She straddled him then cradled both sides of his face. Bending his head back, she took over the kiss, raising up on her knees, sinking deeper.

Rick's hands clasped her by the waist and pulled her down onto his lap. Losing themselves in each other and forgetting their surroundings. Michonne's arms wrapped around his shoulders as Rick's snaked around her waist to hold each other closer. They released the kiss to just bask in feeling complete.

Tears began to well in Michonne's eyes. She sniffed and pulled back to wipe them away, "I don't know why I'm crying… why you make me feel this—," She looked up into his face and stopped her words as she discovered Rick's own eyes, red-rimmed and filled with tears, as well.

She reached up and slid her finger over the wet line sliding down his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand, "Michonne. There's something about this. Something about us. I know you, but I don't remember." He raised his hands to sift his fingers into her hair. "This is familiar to me."

He kissed her again, "I feel like I'm home when I touch your lips with mine."

He squeezed her tighter. Their sighs co-mingling… breathing as one.

As the bright sun sprinkled down on them through the forest leaves, they listened to the sound of their heartbeats pounding within each other's chest when a snap of a twig snatched them out of their dreamy haze. To their right, a buck walked cautiously away from the two humans sitting on the forest floor. Michonne rested her forehead on Rick's, "We'll figure this out."

She stood then reached down to help him up. He hugged her and placed a kiss on her temple, staring down lovingly at her, "We will."

She tugged him to start walking. "Now, let's go find our son."

* * *

Carl lay with his head resting in Cyndie's lap as he read his comic and munched on the snack Cyndie brought. Over the weeks, months they made sure to come at the same time to talk comics, their families… though he kept his life as an immortal trapped on an island to himself. He did tell her about how he'd been abandoned as a child and that he'd been living on the streets until he met Ezekiel during the beginning of the apocalypse, then Michonne who took him in.

Cyndie, in turn, tearfully confessed how their reading spot used to be her village, the family she lost and the father and new family she gained when she moved to Alexandria.

After talking about the tragedies of their past, they became closer. Sharing things in common, their military training, fighting tactics, their love for comics, and their love for their adoptive parents.

Carl waited until after he swallowed his treat before asking, "You know what I think would be a good idea?"

Cyndie put down her book and reached in her bag to toss a piece into her mouth, "What's that?"

"I think we should have our parents meet. Your dad sounds cool. I've never seen my mom show any interest in anyone else. There's this guy, Dominic, hanging around giving her goo-goo eyes all the time, but she doesn't pay him any attention. Mainly because he's annoying and whines like a weak, spoiled little bitch." He caught what he just said, "Sorry, didn't mean to say, bitch."

"That's okay. If he's weak like you said, then he doesn't need to be around a strong woman like your mom. My dad's the same way. There is this chick, Andrea. She's always sniffing after him. It's pathetic. She knows better than to flirt with him in front of his face, so she tries to get closer by coming to me. I don't like her. She always looks like she's scheming. Your mom sounds like a beast and I would love for them to meet." She popped in another piece, "I wouldn't mind meeting her myself. I think I could learn a lot from her."

Carl protested, "Well, if you get to meet my mom, then I want to meet your dad. It's only fair." He held his hand out for a high-five, "Do we have a deal?"

She slapped it, "Deal."

Both went back to reading.

Carl lost himself in the world of Wolverine when he heard his mother call out, "Carl?" And, another voice called out, "Cyndie?"

* * *

Michonne turned her attention away from seeing her son laying down on a mat with his head resting on a young girl's lap. She went from one shock to another when she heard Rick say _Cyndie_. _'So that's her.'_ She turned back to study the one in question.

Carl and Cyndie both jumped to their feet.

"Mom!"

"Dad!"

Now that really threw Michonne, "You have a daughter?"

Before Rick could answer, Cyndie was the one to speak up and answer her question, "Technically, I'm his adoptive daughter. He saved me." She smiled shyly at him, of which Rick returned. But then all his attention went straight to the young man standing next to her. He remained silent as his eyes roamed all over the son he'd never met.

Tears welled in his eyes. When Michonne saw the raw emotion on his face, all her own questions ceased. She needed to be there for her son and for Rick. And, now… apparently for Cyndie.

She took a hold of Rick's hand and pulled him forward. "Hi, Cyndie. My name is Michonne. Carl's mom. It's very nice to meet you." To all of them, "Soon everyone's going to have a lot of questions, but right now, Carl," she led Rick closer, "I'd like to introduce you to Rick Grimes… your father." Both Carl and Cyndie gasped.

Cyndie's hand went to her throat, "Dad?"

He turned his gaze from Carl and smiled at her warmly, "Cyndie. I'll answer all of your questions," he sniffed and wiped away a running tear, "I just… I just want to meet my son." His voice broke as he spoke.

As they talked, Michonne paid close attention to Carl's reaction. He was shocked at first and now he started to shut down, close himself off. She reached out and grabbed his hand, "Carl wait… you know me, right?" He tore his eyes away from Rick to glare at her and nodded. Eyes identical to his father's glistened with anger and fear.

"You know I would never try to trick you or put you in a situation that wasn't good for you?"

When he nodded again, she pulled him closer, "Good, then I want you to sit with Rick and listen to what he has to say." She let go of Rick's hand and placed her palms on her son's cheeks. "Listen to me, there's a reason for all of this and you… we've been granted a second chance." She pulled him into a hug, "Trust me to hear him out. Okay?"

She stepped back and went over to Cyndie, "I'll talk to her Rick, while you guys get acquainted." She was worried about the blank look that took over her son's face. It was his stubborn streak about to make its appearance. _'Rick can handle it. I hope.'_

She spoke softly to Cyndie who was still puzzled with what was going on. She picked up the bag at the girl's feet and placed an arm around her shoulders, "Come on. Let's leave the guys to talk. I'll explain everything. This way we can get to know each other. I have a feeling we're going to be around each other… _a lot_." Michonne guided her into another room far enough for them to talk in private, yet close enough to hear if any of her boys needed help.

* * *

After the girls left, Rick stopped staring long enough to go grab two chairs located in the room. He set one in front of Carl then turned the chair for him backward and sat down to face his son. He gestured for Carl to sit. When he did, Rick started first, "I can tell from your expression, you're not too thrilled to see me. I get it. If I were in your shoes, I'd be the same way." He uncrossed his arms from over the back of the chair and leaned back nervously and rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. He took in a deep breath and blew it out before telling his tale, "Okay, let's start at the beginning. My name at birth before I came to this world…"

* * *

Michonne guided young Cyndie to sit on the bed in a room a couple of doors down from where the guys were talking. Once she settled, "I guess this all seems crazy and confusing? It is for me too. As I said before, I'm Michonne. I live in a community called the Kingdom. Your father, Rick and I recently met. But it just so happens that Rick is also the father of Carl… his real father."

She tucked a leg under her as she continued, "You see. A long time ago, Rick had a son. But no one in his family told him. Carl was taken to live far away from his father. Neither one of them knew anything about each other. I met Carl a few years ago when this apocalypse happened and immediately had a connection. He was missing something in his life and so was I." She stopped to compose herself, "In the short time I've known Rick, I got to know him pretty well. He's like a piece of a puzzle I didn't know I was missing."

Seeing that she was moving into territory she didn't need to get into with a young teenager, she smiled brightly, "Ever since he came here, he'd been looking for his son, but he also found something else. He found you. I may not know the circumstances, but I heard you call him Dad, and I actually heard him speak of you fondly. I just didn't know he was talking about his daughter." She chuckled, "That's a discussion for another time."

Cyndie listened quietly to the woman with dark locs and a sword. She had a warm smile and seemed nice enough. She looked every bit as Carl described her. If her dad was Carl's missing father, what did that mean for her? Would he send her away? Have her live somewhere else. She was so confused, she reached in her bag and pulled out her snacks and nervously began to chew.

"What are those?"

Cyndie looked up from the round chocolate candy to Michonne's curious gaze, "Oh, it's just a treat my dad makes. Sorry, I chew on things when I'm nervous, worried or scared."

Michonne placed a comforting hand on her shaking one, "You don't have to be scared. Nothing's going to change. Well, maybe you are gaining a brother… of sorts."

Cyndie shoved more candy in her mouth. To have something to do other than stuff her face, she offered some to Michonne. "My d-dad makes these from scratch. I've never tasted anything like it. When I asked where he learned to make them, he said he didn't remember when and where he learned. He just knew how." She lifted the bag, gesturing for Michonne to reach in and take one.

She slowly pulled one out, studying its shiny, round surface. Before tasting, she asked, "What's in the inside?"

"I think it's a pomegranate seed. We found some on a run one day and was able to grow more when we got them home. We scavenged some cocoa beans and that's when he started making these."

Michonne placed it on the tip of her tongue.

Cyndie continued, "Whenever I leave to come here, he always makes sure I take a bag of them with me."

Michonne bit down and a burst of sweet pomegranate juice, along with the creamy texture and flavory rich taste of dark chocolate spread and coated her taste buds in sweet delight. Her eyes widened with joy and remembrance:

 _A shy, young god offering a chocolate covered banana for her to try._

 _That same young god looking the age of a teenager, gently handing a shiny, silver sword over to her as a gift._

 _That god, now in the form of a virile, young man wrapping her in his arms in a small gazebo filled with magically lit lanterns._

Michonne whispered in astonishment, "Awees."

Her newfound knowledge and enjoyment didn't last because it was interrupted by Rick shouting Carl's name in alarm.

She jumped off the bed, removing her katana from its sheath. Cyndie following close behind. She went in the direction of Rick's voice. It was not the room where she left them.

When they ran out to the front porch, they both came to a halt by Rick's side.

Standing out in the front yard facing them was Carl, only he wasn't by himself. A tall man with dark, shaggy hair and wore a mask of a gnarled face made of human skin. He stood behind him holding Carl's own sword against his neck. On his arm was the tattoo of an upside-down horseshoe. Surrounding them in a semi-circle was the rest of his people. They weren't sure if they were around the back of the house so Michonne eased the door shut behind her, so they wouldn't be able to spring out without them knowing it.

Rick told her, "We were talking, and I had just told him about how my mother stole my blood and created him, then leaving him alone on the island. He got upset, which I don't blame him, and he said he needed some air. As soon as he left the room, I heard him yelp… came out to find this asshole and his gang."

Michonne could feel the tension pouring off Rick in waves and she needed him to stay calm while they figured a way out of this. Telling him she regained her memories about their past will have to wait. She placed a calming grip on his wrist, "It's okay, Rick. Carl's trained for this."

He took a deep breath to ease his tenseness. Carl appeared calm himself. He could do no less. With a brief nod, he told Cyndie without speaking out loud to move to his left. After she got into place, both he and Michonne calmly and methodically counted the men they could see in front of them and calculated how many could be behind them in the vicinity.

He checked on Cyndie to see how she was holding up. These people were part of the same group that attacked and killed her family, "Cyndie, you know who they are. You okay to do this?"

With a determined look and her focus never leaving Carl, she responded, "Yeah, Dad. They won't get away from me this time."

The raspy voice of the one holding Carl captive growled, "Surrender your weapons or the boy dies."

Michonne let go of Rick and his hand slowly moved toward the handle of his colt. He tilted his head once, ignoring the demand, "What do you want?"

Carl must have made a move because the man tightened his grip, drawing him up short, "What we want is to have the great god of war's head on a pike."

Rick's lips tightened.

Michonne spoke up, "Let the boy go, then we can talk."

Rick asked, "How do you know who I am?"

The whisperer adjusted his hold on Carl once again, "Oh, a little birdie was talking about the famous Rick Grimes and since he's Ares, he thinks that everyone should fall at his feet and he's too good for normal humans."

As he spoke, Michonne had been communicating silently with Carl. She reached out and touched Rick again on his arm and all three walked off the porch, spreading out. With a barely noticeable nod from Michonne, Carl quickly reached up with both hands, one grabbed the Whisperer's wrist, the other grabbed the sword's pommel and twirled it out of the man's grasp and into his. He let go of the man's arm and with a swift turn, the katana swung and sliced the man's head clean off.

His fellow Whisperers was so surprised at how fast the young boy was able to kill their leader, they were stunned for a couple of seconds. As was Rick. He'd seen that move, was intimate with the same technique, only, he didn't lose his head in the process.

 _A beautiful cherub toddler defending a lonely god against her brother._

 _Purple and black hair with matching wings twirling through Alkebulan air._

 _Onyx, blue/black wings springing from his back for the first time._

 _Violet eyes staring up at him adoringly and a radiant smile just for him._

He turned and smiled at the woman who should have been his wife a long time ago, "Nike… it's you."

She grinned back before raising her own sword, "Yeah, it's me. We'll talk about this after we clean this up."

"Good, then you're gonna keep your promise."

As she rushed ahead, she yelled back, "What's that?"

Rick aimed and shot a dude moving a little too close to Cyndie and Carl in the kneecap, "Your promise to be my wife."

Cyndie had gone to fight by Carl's side, giving him enough space to wield his sword. She released the hidden blades within her metal bracelets and began attacking the men and women that came for him. Rick moved over to the right and Michonne took the left side, while the younger ones stuck to fighting in the middle.

Rick pulled his colt and gave out headshot after headshot, and he used his red machete to cleave the enemy in two.

It didn't take them long to destroy the rest of the group and when the last man was down, they regrouped to rest before making the trek back to the Kingdom.

* * *

When they reached the gates of the Michonne and Carl's home, Shane was there to greet them. She let go of Rick's hand and removed her arm from around Carl's shoulders. She was puzzled and worried about the look on her brother's face. "Shane, what's wrong?"

Shane looked from his sister to Rick, "There's somethin' you guys need to know."

Michonne checked behind her brother to see a contrite Dominic hanging back as if he was afraid to be near them.

Rick walked up to Shane and hugged him, catching him by surprise. "We already know, Kratos… we know."

Shane turned his head to stare at Dominic to open his mouth. When nothing was forthcoming, Shane blew a raspberry, "Fuckin' coward. You lucky I ain't beatin' your ass right now."

He slapped a hand on Rick's shoulder, "Rick, let me tell you sumpthin' about yo daddy."

 **Thanks for reading! :)**

 **Key:**

 **Michonne-** Nike-Goddess of Victory.

 **Rick-** Ares-God of War.

 **Shane-** Kratos-God of strength and power


	11. VO Steam Does A Body Good Chap 11

**A/N: Guys I am so sorry about how late this is, but a combination of family issues, that fucking season finale, I kind of lost myself and my inspiration to finish.**

 **I had an inspiration to do a one-shot and it gave me a kickstart to finish this one. It's short, but I felt I needed to get this out, so as a recap, Shane realizes their memories had been wiped, and Richonne remembers their past from Michonne eating chocolate and Rick seeing Carl perform Michonne's signature move with the katana. Coming together after centuries apart, what happens next with these two is for adult eyes only.**

 **NSFW**

 **Steam Does a Body Good**

Rick held up his hand, "Before you start getting into some shit Zeus did or what this idiot, Dominic has to say, Michonne and I have some thangs we gotta do."

He went over to where Carl, Cyndie, and Michonne stood. "Carl, we found each other and I am thrilled, but something else was taken away from me. In order to be the father you deserve, I have to make amends to the first love of my life." He placed a hand on Cyndie's shoulder and pulled her to stand next to him, "You are both my kids. So, while I'll be a little busy, I want you both to stay inside these walls. Your Uncle Shane will keep an eye on you."

Shane interjected, "Wait. What if I got thangs to do?"

Dominic tried to sneak off.

"Don't you go anywhere, Dominic. Rick might not want to deal with you now, but I'm not done." Shane turned back to Rick, "Why I gotta be the babysitter?"

Rick went over to his brother, "Our memories had been taken away, Shane. You won't believe this, but we grew up together." He grabbed Shane in another enthusiastic hug. He leaned back and with a hand, reached up and tapped the sunglasses on his head, "I gave these to you a long time ago. Glad you kept them."

Shane pushed Rick off him, "Hey now, I hope you ain't sayin' me and you was together-together," he pointed to Rick then to himself, "or nothin' like that."

Michonne in the background fell out laughing, "Rick, we have to figure out how to bring back his memories before he busts a vein."

Rick joined her laughter, while Shane stood there puzzled. "Well, it took me seeing your defensive move and you eating my chocolate… what can we do to jog Shane's?"

Carl and Cyndie had no idea what the hell was going on with their parents. They could only watch in fascination.

Michonne held up a finger and exclaimed excitedly, "I know. Tackle him!"

Shane's eyebrows almost reached his hairline, "What?" Before it really sunk in what his sister suggested, he automatically raised his hands to ward off Rick, but it was too late. Rick ran toward him and tackled him onto the ground. Grunting once Shane landed on his back, he gave an extra _oomph_ when Michonne jumped on Rick's back, squashing both of them. Without thinking about what he was saying, Shane yelled, "Ares, get the hell off me!"

When he realized what he said, he looked up at Rick's smirking face above him and Michonne looking over Rick's shoulder. "Oh, damn. It's all coming back now." He looked over at Dominic, "You knew, didn't you? Now it all makes sense. Okay, can y'all get off me?"

He pushed his best friend and sister off, then stood up. "Y'all heavy as fuck. Alright Dominic, time for you to tell us everything."

Rick turned back to Michonne. She raised an eyebrow and he nodded without saying anything. "That's gonna have to wait. Shane. I'm askin'. Will you keep an eye on my son and daughter?"

Cyndie looked uncomfortable.

Shane asked, "Okay, fine. What y'all finna do?"

More people started showing up to see what all the ruckus was about. Even the king, Carol, and Daryl watched as Rick began tugging Michonne off before giving Shane an answer. When they reached Michonne's building, he pulled open the door forcibly, pushed Michonne gently inside then turned back to everyone waiting, "I'm about to reunite with my wife."

There was a collective gasp from everyone.

Daryl and Carol looked at each other, puzzled.

The king whispered to himself, "I knew that boy had a woman back then."

Cyndie backed away from the group… nervous, "I don't want a brother."

Carl smiled, "That's my mom and dad."

Shane, who had grabbed a hold of Dominic by his neck again, growled out, "I just knew they was fuckin' that day." To Dominic, "Now, you're gonna tell me who you really are and why were you sent to spy on me and my sister."

Before Rick slammed the door to the outside world, he left a parting remark, "Oh, and y'all need to find somewhere else to sleep." He slammed it shut on their shocked faces and everyone heard the distinct sound of the locks being engaged.

* * *

After locking the door, he turned around to find Michonne with her arms folded and tapping her foot, "Rick, that was just rude," she chuckled. Rick didn't say a word, only gave her a crooked smile and with a hold on her elbow, he guided her to the bathroom.

When they were inside, he closed that door then spoke, "I don't care." He moved the shower curtain aside then he began to strip her.

Rick first lifted the katana from around her shoulders and leaned it against the wall out of his way, yet still within easy reach. Never taking his eyes off her, he kneeled and removed her boots while she leaned on him, then tossed them into a corner. Next, with slow and steady hands, he unbuckled her belt and unfastened her jeans, easing them down along with her panties down her legs.

Rick studied every inch of dark-honeyed skin as it was revealed, appreciating the womanly curves he was so ready to become reacquainted with. He kept rigid and stayed on his mission to get her naked before partaking on her delectable body. It's been so long, and he wanted every moment to count.

Michonne stood proud and still as Rick removed her clothing. Breathing in his scent that her memories reminded were uniquely him, she looked down upon Rick with new eyes and admired how much he had grown after all this time. His large, strong hands were oh, so gentle when they unfastened her belt and pants, the care he gave when he took off her sword and placed it down where she could reach it if needed. When he stood straight and unbuttoned her vest one button at a time, his eyes never left contact with hers. No words needed to be spoken as the light brush of the back of his knuckles traveled down separating the leather fabric inch after inch.

When finished, he raised his hands to pull her vest down her shoulders. His eyes left her face to drift down to the wonder that was her breasts, barely contained in her brassiere. He tossed the vest to the side. Dipping his hands inside cupping each one, he marveled at their weightiness and firmness.

Getting a grip and remembering his promise to himself, he removed his hands to unhook the front closure of her bra.

When it plopped to the floor, it was Michonne's turn. She didn't have the patience of a saint, so she ripped his tan shirt apart. Buttons flying everywhere. With a quick flick of her wrist, she unbuckled his belt, unsnapped the top of his jeans.

Rick didn't think she even bothered with the zipper. His pants were loose enough for her to just snatch them down to his knees. Taking his boxer-briefs with them at the same time. They laughed as he tried to hold onto his balance. He toed his boots off in conjunction with her pulling the legs free. When he was finally as naked as she, their giggling stopped as they stood face to face studying each other's bare bodies for the first time after centuries apart.

Michonne's gaze traveled down his firm, muscular torso, using a finger to navigate a path along his chiseled abs. "You know, you called me wife back there," she shrugged as her hand continued its path.

Rick placed a hand on hers, ceasing its movement and said in a serious tone, "Michonne, that night, all those centuries ago was the night I gave my heart to you and only you." He placed a gentle finger under her chin, lifting to have her look at him, "That night, you became my wife. If Hera hadn't happened, you would have been my wife through-out those missing years. Now, with our memories restored, you are still my wife and I will spend the rest of my existence making it up to you."

She protested, "What happened wasn't your fault."

He reached down and turned on the shower, "Doesn't matter. My first priority is to you and to make amends for the hurt that was done to you. To both of us. No matter who was responsible." He spread his fingers and eased them through the locs of her hair, pulling her forward as he bent his head down to close his lips over hers.

Without disconnecting, Rick guided Michonne over to step into the shower, it's steam now blanketing the entire room.

Under the hot spray, lips came together, separating, heads tilting and angling for the closest caress. Rick pulled back and studied the woman who had been an integral part of his life, yet she'd been missing for a majority of it. With his back toward the heated spray, protecting Michonne from the splash, he placed his palms on either side of her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. "All this time, we should have been together."

Rick spoke sadly as he released her face and gathered her naked body into a comforting hug. "Now that I remember, I missed you so much, Michonne. My best friend, my love, my wife… my Nike," he said softly near her ear as his hand began to roam from her shoulders to slide down her back then to finally rest under the curves of her ass.

"We have a lot of making up to do. When we get the chance, Hera will pay… "

Michonne quickly reached up and placed a hand over his mouth, "Shh… you just said we have a lot to make up for all that missing time. We're gonna do just that. I don't want to talk about your mother, Zeus or anything else for that matter. We lost and then found each other. Let's not waste any more time on things we'll eventually deal with later."

She slipped both hands into the wet strands of hair at his nape, "Besides," she rubbed her chest against his and looked up with a sly quirk to her smile, "I wanna know what my 'husband' has learned after all these years."

Michonne took in how much he'd changed. He was taller, more muscular, deliciously thick and a lot hairier.

Rick lifted his head in mild surprise, "What do ya mean, 'learned'?" He palmed his now rock-hard cock, "You mean… with this?" He bats her abdomen with several taps then gave her his own mischievous smile, "So, my wife who hasn't seen me in centuries wants to know if I can still work it?"

Michonne tried to argue, "That's not exactly what I mea-…"

Rick, unceremoniously cut her off when he took a small step back and gently cupped her breasts. The shower continued to beat against his back as he flicked both thumbs over her pebbled nipples.

"I know what you meant." He turned her around to let the water soak into her hair and flow down her shoulders.

Michonne closed her eyes, leaned her head back to let it run down her face, chest, and abdomen. Once her body was thoroughly dampened, Rick switched their positions again and grabbed the bottle of liquid blue soap. He took a liberal amount and rubbed it between his hands and started soaping Michonne's shoulders, mapping, massaging with firm strokes and memorizing the shape and feel of Michonne's finely toned body.

Every inch of her was explored as he worked his way down. Down on his knees, he lingered where her hips and her thighs joined… gliding his fingers along her crease, the blue of his irises darkening when he shifted over to let the spray wash away the bubbling suds.

Rick murmured in a low, reverent voice but not so low for Michonne not to hear him, "I never got the chance back then…" while pushing on her hips until she was leaning back against the shower wall. With his thumbs, he pushed her thighs apart and with those same appendages, slid them up 'til he reached her nether lips and spread them apart to reveal her sensitive treasure covered by a chocolaty brown hood.

Settling himself more comfortably on his knees, he leaned forward and took a firm and slow thoroughly satisfying first lick.

Michonne sucked in a breath and tightened her abs as he went in for seconds. From her point of view, her legs wide, she could see him suck in her sensitive hood, then holding it with his lips pulled back to let it spring back. He did this several times, licking her bundle of nerves with each pass. She pushed his wet hair back to make sure she could see everything he was doing to her.

Rick turned his head to the side to give her a better view as his pink tongue swirled and circled around her sensitive clit, his mouth opened wide. He hunched his shoulders to dip down low to prod inside her feminine walls to glide back and capture her clit again to continue his arduous torture. When he felt Michonne's abdominal muscles begin to contract, he eased in two of his big fingers to fill her while he began flicking his tongue at a rapid pace.

Michonne's leg lifted suddenly to rest over his shoulder and as he started pumping in and out of her in conjunction with his speedy mouth. Next thing she knew, both her legs were dangling with Rick using his weight to hold her up against the shower wall. As she began rising to her peak, it was too much, she had to get away. The orgasm that was crawling up her spine, spreading out from her nether regions, threatened to engulf her and she wasn't sure if she could survive.

"Rick, I can't take this… Ahh shit!"

Unable to run away on her own two feet with Rick having her hemmed up against the wall, her only purchase was his head and shoulders. As Rick continued to devour her, she tried pushing on his head to lift her pussy away from Rick's greedy fingers and even greedier mouth.

"Oh, fuck, oh fuck, ohhhh fuckkkk!"

Rick wasn't having it. He grunted in between swallowing, "Nuh, uh."

The more she slipped up the wall, the more he followed until Michonne was glued to the wall several feet up in the air with Rick fucking the shit out of her with only his hands and mouth.

Then she was hit with it. Michonne's entire body froze as she screeched. She'd never cum that hard in all her existence.

All sound; the shower, Rick's grunting, and the regular outside noises of her home became silent.

Her head flew back and hit the wall.

She didn't notice.

Translucent stars began popping up all over her vision and for a few seconds, she couldn't see a damn thing.

"What did you do to me," she screamed.

* * *

Outside Michonne's home, the rest of the family had been milling about. Carl and Cyndie awkwardly hung out by the wall with Shane who was doing his best to entertain the young teenagers with stories of how he, Rick and his sister grew up together and the many adventures they went through before losing their memories. With Cyndie being mortal, he kept the supernatural aspects out of it.

He was telling them about the time his sister was going to fight her own brother, just because he smacked Rick in the head when they heard Michonne scream.

Carl immediately hopped up to go save his mother, but Shane held him back, "Let me go! He's hurting her."

Shane wanted to laugh but the young lad was serious.

"Carl, Rick is not hurting Michonne in that kind of way. In fact, he's not hurting her at all and I don't know if I'm qualified to tell you anymore. Let's just say, they're doing adult stuff where sometimes the women scream. Some men do too."

Cyndie rolled her eyes at Shane's explanation, "Carl, what he's trying to say, and failing is that our parents are having sex, which is uber gross by the way, and the scream says she really likes it." She asked Shane, "Right?"

Shane began walking away, done with the kids and having to explain the birds and the bees to them. He didn't sign up for that shit.

 **A/N: Sorry for how short this is. I hope you like and please leave a comment. I'll be working on this and will get it out there as soon as I can and thank you all so much who asked about Vanguard.**

 **Love y'all**

 **Key:**

 **Michonne-** Nike-Goddess of Victory.

 **Rick-** Ares-God of War.

 **Shane-** Kratos-God of strength and power

 **Dominic-**?


	12. The Aftermath

**A/N: Thank you all for coming back! I'm going to do my best to keep up a regular schedule with this story. Once I sat down and went over it, I found I have a few more things to add and I hope you all like.**

 **Now, the aftermath.**

 **Chapter 12**

 **The Aftermath**

 ** _Over a few thousand of years ago…_**

 _Zeus paced back and forth in front of his throne. His wife, Hera, had just left after giving him some grave news about their son. He didn't find anything wrong with it, but she acts like it was the end of the world. She discovered that he had been visiting an estranged Titan family for years and never told them._

 _He knew there were deities that refused to enter the war and refused to take a side. Zeus felt no animosity toward them because it was a long time ago. He was the king and that wasn't going to change._

 _His wife, however, considered anyone who wasn't an Olympian to be dangerous and a threat to their pantheon. Knowing her as well as he did, it wouldn't be long before she hurt or did something to that family._

 _A family his son respected enough to defy his mother and spend most of his time with._

 _Zeus knew he was weak when it came to Hera and was powerless when it came to her evil schemes and antics. She manipulated and connived to get her way. Considering all the shit he did to her, the cheating, killing her lovers, making sure that no other male garnered her favor, he had no call to stop her._

 _Ares was the only one to stand up to her and tell her no._

 _His son was a better god than him._

 _For that reason, he would keep an eye on this mysterious family. He may not be able to stop her, but he could send them someone to help and keep him informed. He looked around, "Who can I send to watch over them?" He couldn't choose any of Hera's children, he needed someone who was loyal to him and only him._

 _Alonzonikos, his golden eagle familiar, gave out a soft high-pitched whistle, catching Zeus's attention. He walked up to the dais where Lonzo sat next to his throne, "Hmm… maybe..."_

 _He snapped his fingers and the one-hundred-pound bird of prey began to morph. His golden plumes began to float down to the marble flooring as his body began to elongate and take the form of a naked man. His skin was of medium complexion with dark hair._

" _Alonzonikos, I have an assignment for you. You cannot tell anyone who you are, or where you come from. If you ever see my son, you don't know him."_

 _The bird-of-prey turned man examined his new limbs and muscled thin body, "I won't let you down, my liege. I remember everything mother Hera spoke of and I know who you want to protect. I will learn these new people and will keep you well informed."_

 _Zeus scratched his beard, "Good. I have to warn you. This is the first you've been changed into a man. You will feel things you were incapable of as a feathered creature. So, I don't want you to get attached to these immortals. Just perform the task I am assigning you. My son likes them, and I don't want you standing in his way. Once I make sure Hera poses no danger to these people, you will be well rewarded. You might even be able to keep that body if you want."_

 _Alonzonikos bowed to his king, "I will do as commanded. Ares will not recognize me in this form, and I shall call myself Lexos. I've always wanted to know what it's like to have a human body and I got several ideas on how to dress. Can I be the god of something and have powers to create my own wardrobe? You know to make it look more authentic when I go to befriend these Titans."_

 _Zeus thought for a few moments, "Ok. I will grant you to power to transport between locations and to create your own clothing. I can't in good conscience give you full abilities just yet. Enough to get by and you shall be the god of Capriciousness."_

 _He clapped his hands making it so._

 _Lonzo, happy he could create magic, waved his new hand down his body. A fancy tunic made out of red silk and gold filigree piping covered his form. He conjured up calf-length sandals made of golden leather. Once dressed he asked his king, "Sire, what does capriciousness mean?"_

 _Zeus slapped a hand on his shoulder and directed him toward the double doors of the throne room, "Oh, it means you will reside over wit, changeableness, and volatility."_

 _"Are those good things?" He asked as they stood by the entrance._

 _"For a bird turned into a man? Very good things. Now, when you leave here. You cannot come back until it's all over. Can't have anyone suspecting who you are. I have a palace where you can stay. It has servants who will fulfill your every need. Here's the map…" He tapped Alonzonikos' forehead, "Go there now, then make your acquaintance with the Titans in the morning. Make something up, just become their friend and remember, stay away from Ares. He won't recognize you as long as you can keep your animosity in check."_

 _The red flush of anger spread across his face, "I still don't understand why he always punched me, my liege. It wasn't my fault that I was created from superior stock and have higher intelligence. I never held that against him. He was just no match for my exceptional genius."_

 _Zeus gave him a subtle double-take before smacking him on the shoulder a little bit harshly, "Well, alright then. Off you go. I will summon you when I want an update."_

 _Zeus thought as Alonzonikos left, 'No wonder he hit you, asshole.'_

* * *

 ** _Present_**

Rick unlocked and opened the front door, allowing Michonne to walk through before him. Seemingly innocent, Shane happened to be walking past the house. He stopped when he heard the door close and peered at his sister and Rick, who finally came out of their cave and his home, with astonishment.

He yelled, "Four fucking days? Really?" His tirade came to a halt when he got a good look at his sister, "Michonne! Your hair. It's purple!"

She ran down the front steps and hugged her brother. Rick not far behind, "Yes!" She grabbed a lavender colored loc and held it up in front of her face, "Can you believe it?" Now that she was closer to him, Shane could see that her irises had returned to their bright violet from all those years ago.

"I see your eyes have gone back, too."

Rick finally caught up with his wife and placed an arm around her shoulders. He checked their surroundings first before leaning closer to Shane and telling him, "That's not all. We both got our wings back."

Shane's mouth dropped open in shock. He blurted, "Just cause y'all fucked?"

Michonne slapped a hand to his mouth, hissing, "Do you mind? You don't need to be shouting out our business."

Her brother pulled her hand off his face, "Well how else do you explain getting your powers back?" He rubbed his head, trying to figure out this mystery. He lowered his voice and deduced, "Okay, since y'all bumped booties, and got your powers, all I have to do is find another Olympian. We do it, I get my wings back. Then we can get the hell out of this place." He clapped his hands enthusiastically for his plan.

He snapped his finger with an idea, "You know what? That Sasha would be perfect. She's hot! Come on, pack up the kids. We gotta get back to Alexandria, so I can go do it with Sasha."

Shane totally forgot he was talking to Rick and Michonne, so excited at the prospect of getting with Sasha and getting his wings back. He wandered off into the house, mumbling to himself, "Kicked out of my own house for four days. Got to get my best clothes so I can impress her. I might need to cut my hair."

Richonne stared off after him in wonderment.

Rick spoke first, "He's your brother."

Shane stuck his head back out the door and shouted, "Oh, by the way, Dominic is your dad's familiar. Alonzodipshit or something. Said Zeus turned him into a god and sent him to keep an eye out on all of us because he suspected Hera would do something. He was supposed to report back if anything went wrong." He went back into the house, slamming the door before they could say anything.

It finally took hold what he just said when Shane opened the door again, "And, yeah, Michonne, you went out with a bird."

He slammed the door again.

Rick, eyes wide gave her a questioning look.

She shrugged her shoulders, "What? How was I know who Dominic was, or should I say Lexos, or whatever his true name is. He had a palace over on the next mountain. He had servants. He said he was the god of Capriciousness." She stopped, "You know, I always thought that was dumb. He was always so proud to claim it." She rubbed her forehead, "Maybe we were the dumb ones to have believed him."

"Hey, you might not have known Lexos was your father's familiar, but you did meet him before at my parent's home. Why didn't you recognize him when we got back from Oceanside? Your memories had been restored by then."

Rick thought about when they first walked through the gates with the kids, "I never looked at him. After helping Shane get his memories back, I was too busy thinking about getting reacquainted with my wife. Now I know he's Alonzonikos, I get his animosity towards me. He was a pompous ass in bird form, I should have recognized that trait when I met him on your mountain. We all missed it."

"Your father sent him to watch us and report back."

"He failed as far as I know. That's somethin' else I'm gonna handle later."

Chuckling, Michonne shook her head. "How are we gonna explain this?" She ran her fingers through her locs and then pointed to her eyes. "They'll all want to know and it's going to be a mess… a sex frenzy. Jerry is married to Nabila, a human. What's he gonna do?"

Rick shrugged.

She continued, "We'll know for sure if sex is the cure. Glenn should have it figured out by now that he's back with Maggie."

Her significant other looked around, squinting, "Well, if it is, they'll have to decide what they're gonna do with it. Shane had a good idea. We'll tell the kang and then take the trip to Alexandria. I can call a meeting of the immortals and let 'em know. They can figure it out from there if they want their powers back."

They were heading toward the building where the king resided to tell them the news when Michonne asked, "How much does Cyndie know about you?"

Matching his steps to stay by Michonne's side, he used his hand to steady the swing of his Colt, "She doesn't know my immortal side and I wasn't ever going to tell her. It didn't matter since I thought I would never get them back or ever go back to Olympus. I'm pretty sure she's already suspicious of some of the thangs that happened around her. Hopefully, it won't be that big of a shock when I tell her. I'd appreciate it if you would be there when I do."

Michonne agreed, "I think it would be better if all three of us were there. I also suspect she's not very comfortable with you calling them brother and sister."

"Why's that?"

Michonne responded thoughtfully, "I think they have a crush on one another."

Rick's eyebrows rose, "I don't know what to say about that."

* * *

Inside the king's auditorium, Rick and Michonne stood impatiently between the seats, each rolling their eyes as King Ezekiel argued with Carol and Jerry, "Jerry, thou shan't avail your bodice to the closest deity if you so choose not to partake. For it is something you must discuss between yourself and Nabila. I cannot make that decision for you. One way or the other.

"As for me… rest assured, if _I_ partake in such liberties, it shall be with a woman who possesses my heart." He turned toward Carol with an adoring glint in his eye.

Not recognizing the look pointed her way, Carol protested, "What does it matter? Whether you find a woman to love, or just have sex. You would have an entirely new arsenal to fight the enemy and you could go home. Don't you want that?"

Ezekiel just gave her a pat on her hand, "Yes, it would give me an advantage. With powers or under human frailties, I have made a vow to the River Styx that I shall endeavor the proclivities of correcting the wrongs of this world. I will not be returning to Olympus anytime soon." He stood up from his wooden throne and made his way over to where Jerry stood, "Brother, I cannot ask you to stay by my side if perchance you have the opportunity to go back to our homeland."

He turned back to Carol, who stood there with a wary look of suspicion, "My lady. You have been aware of my feelings for you for centuries. Although I ask you this boon, it is not what the mortals would call a 'trap'. All I ask is for you to release the power of the gods within me and I will not obligate you to stay by my side." He held up his hand, "Even though it would mean the world to me if you stayed."

Michonne whispered to Rick as the three continued to discuss what they were going to do, "Ezekiel told me about a woman he loved for centuries but never pursued, because she was a Titan. He thought his brother wouldn't approve. Do you think Carol's the one?"

Rick nodded, "From the look on his face and by the way he's stuttering… we can safely assume she's the one." He grabbed Michonne's hand and began pulling her out of the auditorium. "Come on, we need to go find the kids and have a long talk about who we really are and I wanna know about this crush."

Before they could leave, Carol stopped them, "Rick, I'm going to be staying here for a while. We need to figure this out. Daryl is going to stay with me. When you get back to Alexandria, you'll need to take my place."

Rick shook his head, "Uhm no. I will not. I do have the perfect candidates."

He started pulling Michonne out the room again, "Rick, what are you up to?" she asked suspiciously.

He responded with a shrug, "The former king and queen of the ocean to rule Alexandria. Glenn and Maggie have experience and know politics. I don't want it. Never did. Now that they're back together, they'd make the perfect team."

"That's a perfect idea, Rick." She raised up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

* * *

On their way to find Carl and Cyndie, they ran into Jesus. Rick pulled his brother into his arms for a crushing hug. "Sorry, we didn't have time to talk earlier. It's so good to see you."

Jesus hugged him back, "Likewise. I'm glad to see you safe and sound. I told Ezekiel when you found out what happened here, you wouldn't hesitate to come. It took a few years to find each other, but I was right. I guess congratulations are in order. I didn't know that you knew Michonne."

Rick gave her a loving gaze, "No one knew and that was a mistake on my part. I was just about to introduce Michonne and Shane to you all before our memories got wiped. If I had done it sooner, Hera wouldn't have been able to get away with taking her from me."

Michonne gave him a chaste look, "Rick. I need you to stop taking the blame for Hera's actions. We are here, together and we're alive and we have two kids that need us. She'll get hers in due time. Right now," she turned her attention to Jesus, "Rick, the kids and I will be leaving for Alexandria soon and Shane will most like accompany us if he hasn't left already."

Rick broke out with a snort while Jesus looked confused.

"Glenn probably won't be back because Rick is going to ask him and his wife to take charge while Carol stays here with Ezekiel. I want you to take command of the Vanguard."

Jesus balled his fists and stepped back, "I don't know if I can do that, Michonne. I'm not the leader type."

Rick put a hand on his brother's shoulders, "Brother, you can do this. I've seen you manage and organize some of the greatest thefts in history, I've seen you protect travelers and you are the king of thieves. Making sure everyone here stays safe and protecting the king and queen should be small potatoes for you. Besides, you heard the news. There may be a way for everyone to get their powers back. All you have to do is pick someone from back home, do the do and bam… you can go back to flying around wearing your baby booties with wings."

His brother punched him in the arm, "They are not baby booties, they're called slippers and they were very comfortable."

Michonne enjoyed the joking between the brothers. She did wonder how everything would have turned out if they had met a long time ago. She cut off the thought. It didn't matter. Things were the way they were now. Dwelling on the past won't help anything.

Rick shook Jesus, "You got this bro."

His brother blushed as he pushed Rick's hand off, "Get out of here, you two. Michonne, I will take good care and protect the king and I guess we'll be protecting a queen, as well. I won't let you down."

 **A/N: Thanks again for reading and I truly appreciated all of your encouraging words. Next chapter, Cyndie's reaction and some messiness at Alexandria. Who's gonna cause trouble this time?**

 **Have a great weekend and please leave a comment, you are my fuel** **:)**

 **Please don't hesitate to ask questions. I know it's a lot of names ;)**

 **Key:**

 **Michonne-** Nike-Goddess of Victory.

 **Rick-** Ares-God of War.

 **Daryl-** Atlas-Titan god that led the war against the Olympians. God of Endurance.

 **Carol** -Theia-Titanide goddess and Mother of the Sun, Moon and the dawn.

 **Maggie** -Tethys-Titanide goddess of nursing of all life and Oceanus' wife.

 **Glenn** -Oceanus-Titan of the sea.

 **Tyrese-** Helios-Titan god of the sun and light.

 **Sasha-** Selene-Titanide goddess of the moon.

 **Jesus-** Hermes-God of athletes, thieves, and adventures. Messenger and trickster of the gods.

 **Shane-** Kratos-God of strength and power

 **Negan-** Zeus-Lord of the Sky.

 **Mary/Terminus-** Hera-Wife of Zeus.

 **Jerry** -Dionysius-God of Wine and Theatre.

 **King Ezekiel** -Poseidon-Olympian God of the Sea.

 **Dominic-** Lexos/Alonzonikos-Zeus' familiar and spy


End file.
